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「鉄華団」 (Tekkadan)
“Tekkadan”
The worst-kept secret in anime is officially out, and Tekketsu no Orphans has its sequel. As to whether it deserves one or not, I suppose that’s up to the individual viewer to decide. What stands out more than anything for me is unfulfilled potential, because this was a Gundam incarnation with a better than average premise and an outside-the-box staff. In the end I think the series largely bogged down under its own weight and the chemistry never seemed quite to mesh, and only one or two elements really felt fully realized.
The first thing that must be said about the finale is that it answered the question Iron-Blooded Orphans raised in the penultimate episode – that nauseating speech by Orga was being played straight, and not for irony. Poor Merribit was not only shoved into a demeaning cry-on-cue situation, she wasn’t even given the dignity of being right – she was just being a soppy female for the purposes of the plot. I didn’t want to believe that was the case but the events of the final episode seem to prove beyond a reasonable doubt what Okada and Nagai’s perspective on all this is.
Fundamentally, the biggest problem I have with this ending is that stupidity has no punishment – in fact, is rewarded – and that pretty much invalidates any meaning to the story as a whole. I like happy endings as much as the next guy, but they have to be earned. There has to be consequence of some kind, or else nothing means anything – it’s all just plot noise. If your character had a name, you survived this finale as long as you were playing for the home team. And all of Orga’s bad decisions were meaningless. I would call the fact that the only senior Tekkadan leader who showed any real sense was the only one that died in the series ironic, but I just don’t think irony is in Tekketsu no Orphans‘ vocabulary.
Now, the usual disclaimers apply. The action sequences were, as ever, really good – and well-integrated into the story itself (which was not often but not always the case with Orphans). It basically broke down to Ein vs. Mika and McGillis vs. Gaileo and while there was little mystery to either outcomes, both death matches were quite interesting existentially as well as visually. Ein was basically the ultimate stooge on every level, a character forever being used for the convenience both of the villain and the writer, but that gave him a sort of pathos that made his long-overdue (presumed) demise rather poignant.
Also really strong was McGillis Fareed. He was the one character and his the one plot thread in Orphans that was fully realized. In a series full of cartoonish villains Fareed was a guy with real nuance – someone fighting for what I would argue to be worthwhile goals using unscrupulous and cruel means. The degree to which those means were cruel and just what a stone-cold scoundrel he is were really hammered home in the finale, and that so-called duel with Gaileo was easily the most emotionally effective thing in the episode. In the end everyone on both sides, up to and including his own father, were dancing to Fareed’s tune. And he was the reason Orga’s tragic leadership wasn’t rewarded with more tragedy than it was. I dare say McGillis Fareed might just rise to the title of magnificent bastard.
As for Kudelia, she was an appendage to the end – someone who never had any role in driving the plot through any action she initiated. Her only influence was symbolic – but like Orga, her ending proves things like that don’t carry any weight. She’s rewarded for her passivity and myopia and winds up where she was hoping to be all along – in a position of influence and a symbol of change. Well, I suppose that’s what real-life “revolutionaries” often are too – mere symbols – but that doesn’t mean they’re worthwhile protagonists for a drama.
Whatever that second season turns out to be, I certainly hope it focuses heavily on McGillis because a season of him screwing over people sounds like Tekketsu no Orphans‘ most compelling option by far – not to mention that the internal politics of Gjallarhorn are its most intriguing plotline. The thing is, the plight of the Tekkadan is compelling and interesting too – it’s like every Gundam theme over the decades distilled down to its purest Absinthe-strength essence. But no matter how much one might feel the plight of the cast, I needed to see some semblance of reason and responsibility in the plot – and honestly, I think Tekketsu no Orphans punted that in the end. It seems a lot to ask for that to change in a sequel, but there’s been too much worthwhile in this series over two cours not to at least give it the chance to prove itself. Hope isn’t expectation, but it’s better than not caring.
End Card
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Hopefully there will be a timeskip.
It’s good to end on a positive note. This series has been fun to watch. I’m really looking forward to the second season.
Again, I come here to read a quality review from readers’ comments.
Also, I hope someone else who is more enthusiasm about Gundam IBO will review the next season.
Still, it is funny how Enzo is trying to justify his logic. Now, he still concludes Orga’s decision is bad, even though it turns out ok in the end, and all credits go to Chocolate man. If something bad happens, he would say it is Orga’s fault.
I find Enzo to be a Roger Ebert-like reviewer, by which I mean that when he says something is good, it almost certainly is, but when he says something is bad, it more often than not just means he personally didn’t like it. Consequently, he deserves a lot of credit for highlighting great but underrated shows like Hunter x Hunter, but can be quite a bore when assigned a show unsuitable for his tastes.
Well there is nobody who can review every genre of anime without personal bias.
I’ve been keeping pretty far out of the reviews for this series here after I figured where they were going, but for this comment only I feel it’s worth pointing out that Enzo also has been on record as praising the Robotics;Notes anime (yes, that utter mess) as one of the best characterized and most nuanced shows of its period.
Although I will surprisingly agree to a 10-20% degree with him for once on just how much of a ‘good ending’ the last episode of this season was. I like the show a lot, especially after how G-Reco turned out, but the lack of apparent permanent consequences (save what seems like stroke symptoms to Mika, who doesn’t appear to really care) to any of the named cast despite all that happened in the previous episode took some of the gravitas away from the denouement. Perhaps the whole ‘shady rich people scheming’ cut was supposed to be the cloud to the silver lining, but compared to Gjallarhorn’s obvious rot even that came across as positive. Makanai proved to be an amazingly decent person for a politician and former Prime Minister. And while what happened to Gaelio was pretty harsh… it was still Gaelio and Ein. There’s only so much sympathy that can go there.
I would have preferred a slightly more bittersweet end, something along the lines of ‘we’ve won, but we’ve lost a lot’… something that would validate both points of view (Orga’s and Merribit’s) from the previous episode. And that scene with Naze actually kind of makes me suspect that in the original draft, Orga actually had something more concrete to apologize to Naze for… and that a seiyuu or two might have been told they’d be needed for one more episode sometime during recording. It also makes me wonder about Carta’s health when she died from getting roughed up while Lafter, Azee, and Shino survived catastrophic cockpit breaches, but heh.
That being said, I’d call this an extremely worthy entry to the Gundam franchise, and, assuming it doesn’t go all Destiny on us, I’ll be looking forward to the next season.
@Paul von Oberstein
True, but considering Enzo is quite picky about what he chooses to blog in the first place, it’s pretty boring to see him harping on the same pet peeves all series long, especially when these factors (like Okada) were known in advance…
@Corin
I took that scene which had Orga yelling about killing the guys who dared die on them as an indirect acknowledgement of the the losses they’d experienced. There were quite a few signs indicating that he wasn’t entirely happy with what he was doing.
I can kind of get Enzo’s ire about most of Tekkadan’s casualties in the finale being nameless soldiers, but honestly I’m glad Lafter, Shino and Azee survived. If they killed one of those three, they’d require a little more time for closure (for the audience’s sake, if not the characters’ own), and I don’t know if they would’ve been able to do that in ten or so minutes. I mean, this is the show that spent an entire episode on funeral preparations. At the very least, the losses- nameless or not- were acknowledged concretely in Orga’s talk with Naze.
If there’s a something to cloud their accomplishment- well, they never truly got the independence they were seeking, did they? They were being played for fools by McGillis/McMurdo/Nobliss the for a good third of the series, and I won’t be surprised if the deception continues into season 2. The optimistic finale was a very brief reprieve.
I had lots of sympathy for Gaelio and Ein, though, so I disagree with your statement about “being able to feel so much about them”.
I don’t really blame Enzo. I don’t think the series itself was bad, in fact I think it’s one of the more interesting and intriguing Gundam series in a while. It feels like a Gundam Series but takes a very different path from it which I personally like.
That said, Enzo is right in pointing out the things that he did. While overall I don’t think it was bad, there are a number of things that he rightly pointed out. The show’s cast never really attained their full potential and yes the savagery and passiveness were rewarded instead of punished but I guess that’s not so bad when you consider that this is pretty much the middle of the story and not the real end.
Am Glad the Turbine girls survived, Shino being alive even after that prick Ein crub-stomped his Graze was a good sign (I mean that prick Ein managed to survive having a 20 foot long lance crush his lower body in space.) The lack of beam weapons really makes the close quarter fighting more entertaining to watch.
IBO was pretty enjoyable. It wasn’t perfect, but it ended decently. I feel it was a little bit of a cop-out that Tekkadan and the Turbines didn’t lose anyone of real importance during the last battle. I mean Ein disabled them pretty quickly and for the most part, they’re up and about again– of course piloting a mobile suit is a different matter. Though, Shino got the worst of Ein’s wrath. Ouch. I also agree that Orga would not have been so fortunate if Montag had not needed them to further his plans.
That said, I disagree that Orga was a totally ineffective leader. He tried his best to do what’s right, the children flocked around him, and he’s a major reason why they weren’t left for cannon fodder by CGS at the start of the series. I also disagree that Kudelia has been useless. From what I gather, Enzo views her as useless because she didn’t pilot a mobile suit or mobile worker, and the show is sexist because of it. (There were plenty of powerful female pilots– the Turbines don’t have a shortage of them! Also, the show never said a woman could not do something because they were a woman– which would strike me as sexist. We had female politicians, female commanders, and female ace pilots. Also, there was little to no blatant fan service– which was refreshing.) Sorry, but Kudulia has grown from an idealistic 16-year-old sheltered princess into an effective politician. She got Gjallarhorn to stand down and held her down against those way more experienced in politics. She’s going to be a brilliant force for good as she grows older. There are many paths to power and being a badass Gundam pilot isn’t the only way to do so. There’s a great proverb about a pen and a sword…
I’m not sure if Enzo will be returning for S2, but I wonder if it would be possible to bribe Passerby to blog the series? At least if he hates it, his commentary will be amusing. Or I might do what I’ve been doing for the bulk of the season, read Lauren Orsini’s reviews on ANN (if she reviews the next season), and come to RC for the pictures and thoughtful reader discussion. Sorry Enzo, but some of your criticisms really left me scratching my head.
Last thing: I’m really praying that season two doesn’t take a nose dive. The last Gundam I really got into (Gundam 00) started out great the first season, got worse with the second season (Trans AM was a real ass-pull), and then the movie ruined everything. Aliens? What?! My fingers are crossed for IBO. Please, please don’t let season two ruin this series for me.
“and then the movie ruined everything. Aliens? What?!”
Aliens in Gundam 00 has been foreshadowed very early in Aeolia Schenberg’s speech in season 1. It’s the “dialogues to come”-part. That’s why he wanted to unite the Earth forces to prepare for the worst (alien encounter/aggression), but his innovedos (Ribbons & co) who turned into racists (speciecists?) megalomaniacs with god-complex fucked up his plan and helped built the oppressive A-Laws from behind the scenes. Thank god the CB that he built managed to defeat them and made the Earth forces in a better shape to face the real threat.
In other words, Gundam 00 movie was good (though a bit cheesy). People just have to be open-minded and get over the alien aspect and accept it as part of the story. Also, I find the divisive and “weird” SetsunaxMarina-ending to be beautiful, not because I ship them, but because of its solemnity and emotional punch. It reminds me of Gunbuster’s ending.
@Osy
“Aliens in Gundam 00 has been foreshadowed very early in Aeolia Schenberg’s speech in season 1. It’s the “dialogues to come”-part.”
I totally missed the foreshadowing in Schenberg’s speech. I thought it was a dialogue between nations…
Thanks for the clarification! 🙂
Were all of Orga’s decisions last week meaningless? I don’t think it was the case, seeing how he all but confessed to Naze Turbine that he didn’t want to cast away any part of his family for the sake of finishing the mission. He was all but disillusioning himself that there was an alternative back then.
Still, being a leader means the necessity of putting on a ‘mask’, and that mask was good enough to fool the young ones. Although if the original voice of reason for Tekkadan actually survived till now, I don’t think he can stand in the way of that decision anyway.
OTOH, McGillis… For actually killing all of his pawns in Gjallarhorn and exiled his foster father for the sake of “cleansing” the organization. I can certainly agree that he is a glorious/magnificent bastard. Bar none.
Looking forward to seeing how everything turns out after the time skip. IBO was quite a ride that would be in the back of my mind for a while (the two OPs would constantly be reminding me of it.)
RISE YOUR FLAG!!! (for one last time)
That whole dark turn was really all about was Tekkadan and especially Orga, able to stay the course, even if it meant they might have to journey into hell to do so?
I had honestly forgotten what Naze told him until he brought it back up again. And then suddenly it all made sense. This wasn’t about if Tekkadan was in the right in desiring revenge or were they going about this the wrong way. It wasn’t about any of that. It was asking if Orga, was willing as leader to make the hard decisions and give the near impossible orders that could mean the deaths of people that had put their trust in him and that he cares very much about. It’s like any military leader fighting on the field. He knows that every time he sends his men into combat some of them might die, but he still has to be able to give such an order if he believes that the choice they made to fight is the right one.
In the end Orga passed the test, and while he did have to end up asking his men to risk or even give their lives, their lives were not in vain and they were able to win the day and could finally give the order for them to live and to survive together. Another one of Naze’s lessons.
i like how this show is pro polygamy (The solution to all harem based shows!)
i just wanted to read epsiode summaries, not personal opinions… this blog was much better when omni still around… i think this show was good enough for entertainment…
Screw you Enzo! I lost all respect I ever had for you abd I hope someone else will review season 2
“I’m gonna kill you, then I’m gonna marry and have my way with your underage sister.”
I think that pretty much sums up what the chocolate man said to Gali-Gali. Well played chocolate man.
Seriously though, this ending on a high note was a surprise. Here I was thinking that it’d end on a cliffhanger like 00 season 1. Not the best Gundam I’ve watched but still a very nice watch. Looking forward to the second season.
I think a lot of what McGillis was saying was both truth and an act. It was obvious that he was playing Gaelio and making him angry on purpose. He knows how Gaelio thinks and how he acts. He also is aware that he’s betraying his best friend, and so will at least give him the courtesy of facing him outright and telling him the truth. However, he did it in a way that made made Gaelio emotionally unhinged, and made it easy for McGillis to pick him apart before delivering a quick final blow.
As for Almiria, I think McGillis was being serious while putting on the act for Gaelio, in that he’s promising that while he must do this, he will take care of his sister. From what we’ve seen Almiria is the only one McGillis has shown actual affection for. I think that while he would hesitate to use her status, he will be protecting and taking care of her, as he promised his best friend. It’s the least he can do.
“From what we’ve seen Almiria is the only one McGillis has shown actual affection for.”
That’s some strong words for a guy who basically revealed the only feeling he knows is anger. Keep in mind he basically told Carta that he loves her, monologued that his confession was true, and still had no problems sending her to her death.
“as he promised his best friend”
The very same guy he casually killed after telling that everything they had done together was a big fat lie? Yeah, that promise probably carries a lot of weight. 😀
Almiria’s only hope is that she’s an important piece in McGillis’ bid for power. I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes the moment she becomes the slightest bit disposable, though.
I think he was sincere as well, but he definitely put it in a way that made Gali-Gali cry like a baby as he was being killed. Well at least the chocolate man had the decency to put Gali-Gali out of his misery himself instead of leaving it to someone like he did with Carta. Although I’d like to think that Almiria is “in good hands”, things can go either way from here on out, which is why I can’t wait to watch season 2.
On a side note, I think it would’ve been cool if the chocolate man said “Don’t take it personally, Gaelio. You were indeed a good friend to me. Blame this on the misfortune of your birth.” as someone pointed out on Youtube.
Looking back in one of IBO’s earlier episodes, I think Chocolate Man/Mask does have legit feelings for little Almira considering that one scene in the whole Gjallarhorn banquet/masquerade thing. For the most part one of his objectives may be to not have anyone else have to deal with stuff like arranged marriages and having rich bastards mock a 9 year old girl the way they did or something.
I may be looking into things too much.
Outside of that, the finale was so-and-so for me but it works for the series at least. Still mildly peeved and yet very happy for Lafter/Azee/Shino living (and smirked at the part where Blonde boy really did an effort to go look for Shino) but it’s not bad, as most of the entire first half was. Not the best, but it’s a good watch for the most part. Hopefully season 2 gets to be a bit more consistent.
@Ravenlord
You have to watch McGillis closer than that and know better than to take anything he says at face value without seeing all the other multiple facets. McGillis does have feelings and he does care, it’s just that his goals and his anger are higher than those emotions. Notice that once he kills Gaelio he does show genuine sorrow and that he indeed thought of him as a friend. In the same way you can see the sincerity of his affection for Almiria when he’s alone with her. He didn’t have to comfort her at that party, he doesn’t have to pay attention to her at all anymore. He’s already betrothed to her and Gaelio is dead. Yet, he goes out of his way to be there for her. I’m not saying that she won’t serve as his pawn, but there is genuine feeling there.
@Gekokujou: That would have been nice indeed. C’est la vie, let’s hope we get enough Char-isms the next season!
@IreneSharda: We’re talking about the same thing, I think. McGillis has no problems establishing deep ties to other people – he highly regarded both Carta and Gaelio as well, I mean. Heck, he admitted (to himself) that he probably loved Carta. In the same way he may well symphatise with Almiria as well, hence the scene at the ball. I have little doubts all those feelings were genuine.
The problem is, McGillis is actually a sociopath. He has no trouble ignoring any bond he has, throwing even the people closest to him under the bus if his higher cause benefits.
So as I said, I think Almiria is safe… until the keikaku demands that she’s not on the scene anymore. The only way I can see her staying OK all along is A. she’s not relevant to McGilly’s plans anymore B. the ultimate goal is making her the leader of Gjallarhorn. Char didn’t have any issues with Minerva acting as a puppet leader either, I mean. 😀
I was rather disappointed by the ending. In the end, IBO – while trying to seem really edgy – didn’t really deliver on the promise, quite similar to how 00 was. Hell, on their way they defeated Brewsers and any&all Gjallarhorn forces they met, and the only real (=named) character to die was Biscuit… in a situation that was, let’s just say, easily avoidable.
Call me out on my rose-tinted glasses if you wish, but I miss the days of the old Gundam… where the teams didn’t just power through all opposition unscathed. IBO has proved to be just another dog that barks and never bites. I’m still going to watch S2, but I don’t think I can muster the same kind of enthusiasm I had when this show began.
“Call me out on my rose-tinted glasses if you wish, but I miss the days of the old Gundam… where the teams didn’t just power through all opposition unscathed.”
Let’s see this so-called cases of old Gundams then (no spoilers of the dead):
MSG: only has two named-deaths among their main crew for their 43 episode run time. Still a happy ending.
Zeta: fair point. Lots of character died and their souls become shounen power-up for Camille and made Zeta Gundam glow bright pink as it became super-fast and super-strong.
ZZ: Aside from a certain character from the old White Base crew, all the protagonist kids are alive and ended in one of the most happiest ending in the entire Gundam franchise.
Victory: fair point. Who can forget the Shrike team. But bear in mind that the series is not well-written, just like G-Reco.
G Gundam: I don’t even have to mention this one. You should know.
Wing: all the characters from the protagonist group survived without fail *cue happy ending*.
X: Same case with Wing. Heck, they even spared the main villains’ lives.
Turn-A: This one is mixed. But all the more important characters from the protagonist group also survived and happy ending is reached.
So… out of those 8 older Gundam TV series you mentioned, the only ones that didn’t end as happy as IBO (first season) with many named-deaths from protagonist crew are just Zeta & Victory, and MSG & Turn-A being on the fence but lean more toward IBO’s ending. Gundam OVAs & movies are their own things coz they’re not limited by censors or rating.
PS: I didn’t touch the millennial Gundam TV series coz I consider them relatively new.
You forgot my favourite serie 🙁 08th MS Team. No-one really died there either, though the serie does make a point of even the Zeon mooks not being evil, and generally everyone trying to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Except the leaders, of course. Also, 08th ends with one of the more sombre endings I’ve seen in Gundam to date.
Anyhow, not counting the OVAs is an odd choice. Char’s Counterattack and War in a Pocket are just – if not more – influential than many other Gundam series. As for poor writing, most series weren’t really stellar in that regard; ZZ for example most people would like to forget about IMO, even the quality of Wing is debatable (shenanigans like Heero being more freaking indestructible than his own Gundam).
Turning back to IBO for a bit. I think what bothers me is that, in the end, IBO started off as a show about the plight of child soldiers. Then, in 25 episodes, we proceeded to watch as they beat everyone in their way without ever facing any backlash (Biscuit aside). What that is, in the end, a schizophrenic show that denounces war in words while at the same time glorifying it in deeds.
Having your cake and eating it etc etc.
Re: MSG: Show Spoiler ▼
Re: 08th MS Team – didn’t most of what’s-her-name’s infantry guerillas die? As well as that one Zeon commander, Packard or something?
As for the comment about denouncing war in words while glorifying it in action… that’s literally the quandary that most war movies that attempt the whole ‘war is hell’ concept end up facing. For everyone that gets the message there’s someone that loves the action – for everyone that’s horrified at death by firebombing there’s someone that thought that napalm drop was cool as heck. And a Gundam series, which still works by selling plastic models, was never going to solve that conundrum.
08th MS: both the guerillas and Packward only really appeared in one episode, though. I felt sorry for them, but I wouldn’t say they were part of the main cast.
War movies in general: Yeah, I do get that duality. Most Gundam shows have never ventured so far in sheer brutality than IBO has however, and that makes the issue all the more glaring.
It’s like they tried making a Gundam-styled Band of Brothers, just without any allied soldier getting shot. And that kind of formula just doesn’t sit right for me, I guess.
@Ravenlord
I’m confused. Are you the same Ravenlord who posted the first comment? But anyway, here’s my reply:
“Anyhow, not counting the OVAs is an odd choice. Char’s Counterattack and War in a Pocket are just – if not more – influential than many other Gundam series”
I use that approach because IBO (which is the main focus of this discussion) is a TV series. TV series has many limitation compared to OVA & movies. Modern Gundam TV series have to face the ratings, kit sales, intense (Japanese) fans’ backlash, tight schedule, and even cancellation while OVAs & Movies has more freedom to tell their stories (Gundam 00’s aliens everyone?). For example, Gundam 0080’s focus on the slice-of-life of a non-pilot civilian child MC & tragic ending wouldn’t be exciting for kids who watched anime on TV at the time, the merchandise sales would’ve dropped and it wouldn’t be a promising commercial endeavor as TV series. So, no, this has nothing to do with how good and how much influence the OVAs & Movies have. Just trying to make a fair comparison between TV series.
“As for poor writing, most series weren’t really stellar in that regard; ZZ for example most people would like to forget about IMO, even the quality of Wing is debatable (shenanigans like Heero being more freaking indestructible than his own Gundam).”
Victory is mostly absurd, just like G-Reco. ZZ has solid writing, the fans just turned off by it due to its lighthearted approach. Wing has never been good (it’s cool if you consider it just a Saturday-morning cartoon like Transformers G-1, He-Man or GI-Joe). I thought everyone knew that. That’s why I didn’t mention how bad Wing is.
“Amuro was happy that he was alive, mere minutes after he resigned himself to what amounted to a suicide.”
Eh, no. He wasn’t planning on suicide. He stayed as long as he could to guide his friends to safety. After making sure, he himself escaped via the Gundam’s Core Fighter. The whole scene did feel foreboding and suggesting that Amuro would sacrifice himself but that’s not what happened. He already had his own escape plan. He merely prepared for the worst.
“It’s like they tried making a Gundam-styled Band of Brothers, just without any allied soldier getting shot. And that kind of formula just doesn’t sit right for me, I guess.”
Band of Brothers is from true events where some of the characters actually died because they went straight into a freakin’ war. IBO is a fictional story about child-soldiers grasping for better life by trying to escort a diplomat to another planet and avoiding conflicts the best they could but also ready for it whenever it’s necessary. It’s more of a journey story to slip through enemy’s defenses than a war story. The story itself is about giving hope to these abused children, not recreation of real-life war. So, fewer casualties are understandable. Though if we want to get technical, Tekkadan has lost many of its members (Biscuit, Danji & Dio are mere few out of many), just like how many nameless and minor Allied soldier characters who got shot down in BoB.
I do have to wonder if the there were some last minute changes to the ending. The last few episodes seemed to indicate that the finale was going to be a lot bloodier than it turned out. It’s possible that the writers thought this was gonna be the series finale, but then got word that S2 got green light. As a result they lightened the tone of the ending so that they could use Lafter, Azee, and Shino in S2.
Still I understand and, to some degree, agree with Enzo’s grievances. Orga seems to have gotten off very lightly given his reckless actions. His gamble only payed off because of Eugene’s unexpected arrival. In other words, he got lucky, maybe too lucky.
However, this doesn’t bother me too much mainly because of S2’s confirmation. The issue of Orga’s leadership and recklessness can be revisited. As I said before, had this been the series finale this might have been where everything blew up in Orga’s face, but because of S2 the writer’s decided to postpone that moment.
@Osy
Yes, it’s me. Truly sorry about that. I once entered the wrong email address for a comment, and now Chrome refuses to forget about it. Even worse, Sync is making my browser alternate between the correct and the wrong one, and I sometimes forget to manually correct it. :v
Reg. series and OVAs: you are absolutely correct. I just felt it was worth mentioning though, as UC was only made great by its OVAs.
“Eh, no. He wasn’t planning on suicide.”
I didn’t mean like “cutting his wrists”, but (in my interpretation) he was simply weary of life. I thought his intention was staying on the Gundam as the whole area blew up, and he only started escaping when his newtype powers let him see how many other lives depended on his help. I could easily be wrong though, I often get the wrong impressions.
“Band of Brothers is from true events where some of the characters actually died because they went straight into a freakin’ war. IBO is a fictional story about child-soldiers grasping for better life by trying to escort a diplomat to another planet and avoiding conflicts the best they could but also ready for it whenever it’s necessary. It’s more of a journey story to slip through enemy’s defenses than a war story. The story itself is about giving hope to these abused children, not recreation of real-life war. So, fewer casualties are understandable. Though if we want to get technical, Tekkadan has lost many of its members (Biscuit, Danji & Dio are mere few out of many), just like how many nameless and minor Allied soldier characters who got shot down in BoB.”
The thing is, IBO was clearly intent on being more realistic and gritty than previous Gundam entrees. No matter how you look at it, stuff like executing helpless prisoners are clearly meant to invoke the “real war” theme. This makes a great difference to me. In a more fantasy setting, I can more easily accept using plot-armour (eg Uraki in Stardust Memories). But since IBO’s clearly trying to go for a gritty real feel, this kind of plot-armouring just makes it feel like a dime-a-dozen action-propaganda movie, where an elite team can mow down entire armies without any repercussion. Even if the setting is imaginary, the greatly similar narrative invokes the same reactions from me.
As for the red-shirts, I hardly consider them an actual loss. Tekkadan had always had enough reserves to field enough of them – no matter how many faceless guys they lost, there were other equally faceless guys to take their place. It’s not like they wound up like Carta, who ran out of fodder. In BoB quite a few people die who were developed on the screen. That has been missing from IBO, and I could (begrudgingly) forgive it if not for blatantly showcasing plot armour in the last 2 eps.
…and now I have screwed up the reply. Not my day. 🙂
I loved the Mika vs Ein part. Ein wasn’t even fighting with a Gundam frame and he was kicking Mika’s ass. It felt like Mika made a deal with the devil (Barbatos) and traded his arm and half his sight for better reaction time. Makes me think that he’s gonna give up more of himself to fight other Gundams with Alaya-Vijnana in the next season.
They should have done the most sensible thing: killed Orga. Now suddenly the show starts to make sense and ends with a nice cliffhanger for season 2. Too bad.
I too thought Orga is going to die when he decides to return to the battlefield.
In the end even Shino and the Turbines girls made it.
This one finished off better than I expected it would. Though it’s still not complete as the next half has already been confirmed anyway, I have to admit that after last episodes bad taste in the mouth this one kinda redeems most of the characters.
McGillis the ever present Gundam Trope of a shadow puppet master finally rears his head and does something detestible that makes you focus your negative feelings towards him while Olga and Mika, despite being the dark protagonists that they were kinda redeemed themselves as well. Olga especially with his “dont die” order which the old guy runs commentary on.
I think that honestly this is one of the better Gundam series I’ve seen in a while. It’s not so much the typical Gundam show as Barbatos despite never actually losing has seemed defeatable many times. Mika, though showing traits of brilliance at piloting is no Heero Yui or Kira Yamato by any stretch. It just feels more real. While Olga and Mika at times are very savage in their own rights, you come to expect that of people who engage in “war”. I don’t really see how figures like Kira Yamato with his brooding can actually fight those battles and take those lives. You have to have a certain savagery but I guess a hero has to also grapple with his conscience at times. Something I think we will see more of as shades of it have already appeared.
All in all despite it’s departure in some aspects from the usual Gundam story line I think Orphans has done a good job in enhancing the franchise as a whole because while it is undoubtibly different you can still see it’s Gundam core.
Overall, I enjoyed the series. And I will admit that there were a few flaws and I did agree with some of the remarks in previous reviews.
And again moving to Kudelia, how has she not be an asset throughout this series? She taught the kids of Tekkadan how to read and write, she stopped the violence of Gjallahorn through mere words and made the entire planet begin to question their own protectors, she managed to find a secret route for them to travel. How is she by any means useless and just a mere tool in this series? I want a freaking example of how you’d expect a diplomat to be useful in situations where they’re travelling through battlefields and distances. Also, having them fight in the battlefield does not count, because we honestly can’t just expect them to suddenly take up arms.
Also, bad decisions don’t always lead to consequences. The same can be said with good choices. Just because it isn’t in your favor doesn’t mean it would lead to something bad.
So for season 2, we can expect a lot of changes. The biggest change would be to give it to a reviewer who isn’t biased about this series.
The problem is when the show bends backwards to avoid those consequences. Ordering a suicide charge and then we see mobile workers exploding into sharpnel… and yet no-one important bites it. We see mechs split into two and the pilots still come out for none the worse.
It’s blatant plot armour, and it’s very annoying when placed in a crapsack, everyone-can-die kind of narrative.
Yes! I would watch the 2nd season just to see how Mr. Just-as-planned will behave
So, just like AGE S1 did, IBO had to resort of copy pasta some classic UC moments to be somewhat interesting: ChocoChar being as Char as the original at the end of MSG, Gaileo being the Garma Zabi (ChocoChar, you deceive me ChocoChar!) of IBO without dying, and Ein being a massive scrub just like Yazan in Z Gundam.
The most BS of all this is the total backpedal that Okada and her cohorts did with almost no-kill count after all the strawberry jello of last episode. Mind you, not even the reactor shutdown button of the Freedom in GSD was this level of plot armor.
Let’s be honest, seeing that series like AGE managed to get a sequel without deserving it, IBO was going to follow that path. Fortunately, Unicorn TV will be the lifeline Gundam TV needs desperately.
Can we expect IBO2 to follow A/Z attempt of saving the sinking ship by FIRING Okada?
“Gaileo being the Garma Zabi (ChocoChar, you deceive me ChocoChar!)”
It definitely takes a lot of inspiration from Char’s betrayal of Garma but with its own twists. For instance McGillis’ betrayal is political not personal and he kills Gaeilo himself.
“Ein being a massive scrub just like Yazan in Z Gundam”
Not seeing it, though I hope they don’t try to copy Yazan considering this fate in ZZ gundam.
“The most BS of all this is the total backpedal that Okada and her cohorts did with almost no-kill count after all the strawberry jello of last episode.”
Its definitely a cop-out, no getting around that. However, I like the characters and want to see the show give them more attention, so to me this is a flaw I’m willing to tolerate.
“Let’s be honest, seeing that series like AGE managed to get a sequel without deserving it”
What sequel? AGE was always meant to be around 50 episodes. Personally I thought the series was OK for the first 2 generations. It wasn’t until the 3rd generation that the series crashed and burned very hard.
“Can we expect IBO2 to follow A/Z attempt of saving the sinking ship by FIRING Okada?”
Who did A/Z fire?
I’d probably compare Ein more to ones like Four or Rosamia in Zeta Gundam albeit not like a totally lost and confused child mentally, but still a now-mentally unhinged person given control of a big and powerful mobile suit that, despite clearly being overall superior to their opponent’s mobile suit, is incapable of truly drawing out its full potential and gives the opponent the opportunity to take it out.
“ IBO had to resort of copy pasta some classic UC moments to be somewhat interesting”
The point of each AU series is to introduce newcomers and new generation to Gundam. So, borrowing some of the best elements of the older Gundams is not inherently bad IMO. The key is execution, and IBO is pretty good at it (but it can use better animation though).
“The most BS of all this is the total backpedal that Okada and her cohorts did with almost no-kill count after all the strawberry jello of last episode.”
This, I agree. But a part of me is glad coz they can explore those characters who survived more.
“Mind you, not even the reactor shutdown button of the Freedom in GSD was this level of plot armor.”
Someone is forgetting the ass-pull Mwu’s survival in GSD.
“Let’s be honest, seeing that series like AGE managed to get a sequel without deserving it”
Age did not get a sequel. It was CANCELLED. Bandai originally wanted to make AGE into 75-episode series. But it was such a commercial dud that they cut it into just 49 episodes.
“Fortunately, Unicorn TV will be the lifeline Gundam TV needs desperately.”
IBO got a sequel. That means the first season is a commercial success. If it was a dud, Bandai’s would’ve cancel it like X & AGE. No need to depend on Unicorn. What Bandai did with Unicorn is milking the cow just because they can.
“Can we expect IBO2 to follow A/Z attempt of saving the sinking ship by FIRING Okada?”
You want IBO to follow Aldnoah’s second season? Fak that. I’d take SEED over that crap.
Kudelia for President #ImWithHer
https://randomc.net/image/Gundam%20Tekketsu%20no%20Orphans/Gundam%20Tekketsu%20no%20Orphans%20-%2025%20-%20Large%2032.jpg
F*ck yeah! My favorite character (the girl on the left… still cant remember her name) is alive! God freaking damn you blood orphans for giving me the unnecessary heart ache!
Well thank God Girl On The Left survived.
This is good and all but am I the only one who is shipping Lafter and Akihiro??
u don’t like the girl u just like dat a** 😉
I can’t remember a Gundam series relying so heavily on mechas, leaving the character interactions aside. Maybe it’s just because the out-of-box staff. Even so, this is by no means a bad thing, as I found those fights quite amusing to watch.
The show had quite a lot of clichéed moments, but dealt with them well (the ending is a good demonstration of it). Also, I liked how they came up with real problems of the world (economic stagnation, near-slavery work conditions, militias and terrorism). It’s not like adding colonies and mechas into the galaxy, but making a world based on how it could be if there were those things added. As a fantasy/sci-fi lover, I was quite amused to see something akin to Asimov’s Empire (with mechas), a world with a history of its own, with people who deal with their own troubles.
Quite good show, and I expect a good 2nd season as well.
On a funnier note, note how similar Mika looks to an Angry Bird from the upcoming movie.
https://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=5803328&postcount=7349
I suppose McGillis could’ve had more faith to lure his friends to join him, but this is Okada Mari after all. You saw what she did for Wixoss.
I loved this finale, it tied up many loose threads and yet also opened up new ones that can be explored in the series. I’m interested in what Tekkadan’s new adventures will be now that they have made a name for themselves and with the 4 economic blocs now deciding to bring up their own militaries. Now, considering they have never really had or needed any before, I’m going to bet that the other 3 blocs will be bringing in PMC groups just like Arbrau did with Tekkadan, If so, it will be interesting to see where that leads if Tekkadan has to fight now on their home turf against orphan child soldiers just like them.
I’ve always felt that Orga was a great leader. In fact he has officially become my favorite of all the non-piloting main force leaders in all of Gundam. I think that many of us, even I, were actually missing the point of all the dark humbub in the last couple of episodes. I thought it was all about what Merribit was saying and how this was showing that the children of Tekkadan were different than regular children. However, it honestly had nothing to do with Merribit, she merely served as a vocalized obstacle that was meant to put doubt into Orga. This was all actually Orga’s trial by fire, to see if he could do as Naze asked if he could do all those episodes ago. Could Orga stay the course in what he believed in and knew was right, even if it meant that he might order his men to risk or even give their lives? In fact it brings it all the way back around to how in the beginning, the 3rd group had to play decoy to the 1st group and then they were abandoned. That was something that Orga hated. And yet in the end, he has to ask his own men to do the same in another battle. But this time it’s also different, in that unlike the 1st group, he includes them in this decision and he doesn’t abandon them to their fate, like their old president did, but comes back to the battlefield and now that they have accomplished their aims, telling them to concentrate on survival. It was sort of both of Naze’s lessons mixed into one. As leader you have to be willing to bear the burden of the fact that you might have to give orders that can lead your men to their deaths, but if at all possible, live for your family the best you can.
As for McGillis, he is one cold SoB, and he does have some psychopathic tendencies. (interesting how he mirrors the similar Mika, who has some sociopathic parts to him. Hmm…) He has the whole plan laid out and has for a while now, and what’s so interesting is that he’s doing it for all the right reasons and you can’t really go against. It was cruel, but it was the right thing to do. One sad thing is that if it wasn’t for Carta and Gaelio’s own naivety, pride, and arrogance, it wouldn’t have been so easy.
Will Gaelio come back? I mean, we didn’t see a body. If Gaelio were a smarter, stronger character, than I might think it. However, he’s actually a very weak person both mentally and physically. We all feel sorry for him, but in truth, his blase attitude kind of led to his own demise. We can see by the way he lived his life that he wasn’t very big on duty and responsibilities, he trusted everyone else to make choices for him, and he left almost all of the decision-making to McGillis really. I noticed that even back when he was first introduced.
If you compare all the MS pilots we’ve seen thus far, Gaelio was one of the worst. He’s never been close to actually beating Mika, and McGillis literally picked him apart on that battlefield by using his own emotions and anger against him. The problem is that while McGillis knows pretty much everything about Gaelio, Gaelio really knows very little about McGillis. He only knows what McGillis ALLOWED him to see. Because of this, I don’t think Gaelio could every really beat McGillis even if he did come back to get revenge.
Well what shall happen now? The ones to watch are McMurdo, Nobliss, and Iznario. McGillis is crafty, but so is his dad, and so now that he knows what he’s dealing with, I think Iznario is far from out of the game. I don’t think Tekkadan have anything to fear from McGillis at the moment. He’s painted them as the people’s heroes, and so to go against them now would make no sense and hurt his own position considering how Gjallerhorn is right now. It will be interesting seeing how he starts the job of reforming Gjallerhorn. How much of a time skip will we get? I don’t think it will be too big of one. We have to still have the Tekkadan upper echelon be kids, so I’m thinking a few months to a year at most.
As for the series itself, it has shot up to being one, if not my favorite of the Gundam series. I loved everything about it from the story to the characters and I can’t wait to get it for my collection when it comes out. It had a few pacing issues here and there, but I think that’s fixed if you watch the show as a whole and with a second season on the way. I give this series a 9.5/10.
Excellent review Irene, i enjoyed reading it a lot 😉
Nice Review! 😀
Would be cool if Gaelio came back stronger, maybe change an identity and joins the military of another bloc.
McGillis, so far everything is keikaku doori for him.
Maybe letting his father go is part of plan?
The world starts to divide.
Will it be too late when people realise that McGillis gets really powerful?
Then the world have to come together to stop him or something.
(lol, then McGillis reveals that an alien race is coming… just joking :P)
I’m sure McGillis is keeping an eye on his dad, it will now be up to who is craftier.
As for him taking power, he doesn’t seem to be power hungry but more so that he really wants to correct Gjallerhorn. I’m pretty interested in finding out why.
Aliens would be a little out there, but interesting. lol
I too want to know what is driving McGillis 🙂
I wonder has he any countermeasures for when the pawns he brought up get too powerful.
Kudelia and Tekkadan.
Or he will win the whole Earth over.
Or perhaps season 2 will start with a reformed Gjallarhorn with McGillis on top.
Then with a new crop of characters with some from McGillis’ past or share his past.
Seemingly new slate, new problems then reveal some connection.
Ok regarding Gaelio I found this…
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cei2CO9WQAA_b6L.jpg:large
A fan spoof img found on Twitter 😛
RC should just bring you aboard to review season two, lol.
Here’s hoping that Mobile Suit Gundam UC RE:0096, now that it will actually have space and time to do things, will be able to take what the OVA films did, expand on a bunch of things, and make the title even better.
To paraphrase a Gundam 00 meme…
“F**king
RibbonsMacky!”Also, the implication that the Alaya-Vijnana (sp?) system can be used in a similar manner as Warhammer 40,000‘s Space Marine Dreadnoughts (read: interring an incapacitated warrior into a robotic body to “prolong” his life) presents a bit of fridge horror now that it’s revealed that unlocking the full potential of Barbatos requires sacrificing a part or two of the pilot’s body. (No wonder they named the Gundam Frames after the demons of the Ars Goetia–power at a price.)
Show Spoiler ▼
Anyway, Iron-Blooded Orphans already did a lot better than G-Reco. And while waiting for the next season of IBO, Thunderbolt (and the TV re-airing of Unicorn) will be sticking around to fill that void.
Perhaps there was a reason why they found Barbatos in their base. Did do not said that he got him to scrap this Gundam for selling?. So why do no one keep it in their Household?
also do they not build in an Mobile Worker Cockpit in Barabtos, so they modified him… The original Cockpit was scrapped and sell their pieces. It could had been an normal one
Some Barbatos backstory in the wikia:
http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/ASW-G-08_Gundam_Barbatos
Read the 1st form and Mace weapon parts.
I have to start by saying that i really enjoyed IBO a lot and would have been satisfied if it ended here at this point, but i wouldn’t mind if there is more of it, that’s a story i’d like to continue viewing for a bit more (So i’m quite glad to see that there will be a 2nd season).
Now to get into the thick of things, i’ll start by getting Ein out of the way, as if he wasn’t bad enough already his hypocrisy level is really over 9000 here (even Mika calls him out on it), he kept spouting his bullshit about Crank and about punishing Mika and Tekkadan for their evil and .. blah blah blah, now let’s see what Mr.Ein is actually doing here, first he is basically shitting on everything Crank died for, Crank died because his sense of duty compelled him to obey orders of his superiors but his humanity prevented him from carrying a full assault on the Tekkadan base after he figured out they are child soldiers, so instead he chose to go alone and try to settle things with a one-on-one duel risking his life in the process for his principles, that’s an honorable man and an interesting character even if he is on the side of the bad guys, but Ein just ignored all of that and constantly kept bitching about revenge without EVER trying to think or understand why Crank did what he did, now he is takes it up to 9000 by starting a Mecha fight right in the middle of a populated city and endangering everyone with his psychotic behavior, so you can understand why i made a sigh of relief when Mika finally shut him up with that stab, good riddance.
On the other hand Gaelio’s entire fight and death scene really impacted me, it was dramatic, it was a clash between two childhood friends, it was an act of betrayal and it all worked because Gaelio was actually an interesting character (unlike Ein, in fact i found Gaelio to be quite similar to Crank), seeing him react to the revelation of McGillis’s plans and how McGillis toyed with him before he killed him off was really heartbreaking, IBO managed to make me care about one of the bad guys enough to feel so bad he got betrayed and killed like that, that’s something, on a side note .. i wonder what MacGillis meant when he said “I lived in anger” when he was explaining to Gaelio that his feelings won’t get through to him, there is probably more to his early life than we know, and i think the main villain in the 2nd season will surely be McGillis so we might see more flashbacks explaining how he became the master manipulator he is now, i’m also pretty interested in seeing how his version of Gjallerhorn will operate and whether he really planned to fight corruption or was just deluding himself and all he wanted was just power and we will see his brand of corruption next, eager to see how he will deal with Tekkadan from now on.
Now time for Mika and Orga, Mika felt a bit more human as he fought Ein (because despite how cold Mika feels sometimes he at least does feel like a human not a one note robot like Ein), i don’t know how he pushed both his body and the Alaya-Vijnana system to the point of losing an arm and an eye but i suppose they already established there are “limiters” on the system made specifically to prevent this and that Mika has the limiters on Barbatos disabled (since he is the only one that performed the operation three times and can handle the high density data flow), it was overall and enjoyable fight (more so because there is no more Ein), i also liked that Orga wanted to go cheer Mika personally after giving his “Don’t Die” speech which clearly highlights the difference between him and the previous leadership they had on Mars which would have sacrificed them anyway to secure their retreat (they kinda did that actually), i’m also glad that the three pilots of the three mechas attacked by Ein survived with minor injuries, after all i couldn’t possibly hate Ein more than i already do if he had killed any of them.
Finally Kudelia and The former Prime minister (or maybe the “current” is more suitable now since he got re-elected, agh.. that’s confusing), i really liked the fact that he kept his word in regards of half-metal agreements with Mars and protecting Tekkadan from Gjallerhorn interference once he won the re-election, even little touches like how he let Kudelia talk before him (although that can also be seen as manipulative as he might have wanted to use her to influence the vote, but i think Kudelia knew that and she didn’t mind), but i had to comment on the part where Kudelia says it’s over .. no dear, your real work is just starting, politics can be sometimes even more brutal than war (not to mention cause wars as well), she might have grown a lot since the start but she still has a lot to learn to secure Mar’s independence and future.
Now all that’s left are McMurdo and Nobliss, both are pretty much allies now, but we know, Kudelia knows and Tekkadan knows it was Nobliss who killed Fumitan, now that’s a big problem, i don’t think Kudelia could put her hands into the hands of a guy like that, and if Tekkadan knows that McMurdo and Nobliss are allies now we can see a breakdown between Tekkadan and the Turbines, so aside from external conflict coming from MacGillis side we can see internal conflict arise between the two groups despite their strong ties, i just hope they don’t just introduce a new villain or antagonistic group out of the blue without proper introductions in the 2nd season, it’s better if they use the groups and characters they spent all the time building up in the 1st season, but we will have to wait and see.
All in all it was quite an enjoyable Gundam series and a lot of fun to watch, i give first season of IBO [8.5] out of [10] (it’s not an instant classic but a damn excellent series).
After the fight with McGillis, I wonder who get salvage rights on the Kimaris? (reasonably it’d be McGillis as it was his kill, and I wouldn’t put it pass him to claim his best friend gundam frame, but he wasn’t supposed to be there officially?)
It can be him or Arbrau, they did mention the economic blocs of earth now want to build their own armies or contract PMC, and that was Arbrau territory after all, so they could have obtained it and plan on fixing it and giving it to Tekkadan since they are sort-of their PMC now.
I think McGillis seemed to be in a rush to retreat after he killed his friend so there was no chance for him to collect it, he had to quickly go back to HQ to prepare the next stage of his plan and deal with his father after all.
I’m betting that the Baudains get it back. He did say that he brought it out from storage and that it was a family heirloom. The background on Kimaris also suggest that it’s strongly connected with the Baudain family and that it dates back to the very first member of the 7 Stars.
I don’t think McGillis would want it. He’s a Char Clone and they don’t usually pilot Gundams. Also, he has to show that he respects the Baudain family, so he’s going to probably have it set up as a memorial to Gaelio.
Full A.V, the power rush amplifies the person’s desires.
What will be the fate of the A.V System going forward?
More research, refine and mass produce?
Looks like it will be till season 2 then we’ll know what is driving McGillis.
McGillis!! So bad!! Really, every life is a pawn to him. Its like his plan is just for himself.
Wonder will some event soften his resolve in season 2 and make him regret or look good and pitiful?
Some real love?
Feels like McGillis justify Gaelio’s mad rush to console himself then contridicts by saying it won’t reach him.
Maybe I still want to believe that theres human in McGillis. If not then what is this anger? Does he have a similar past to Orga and Mika ONLY that it became worse as he is alone or didn’t seek companions?
Ok, so Mika was bluffing that he forgot Crank.
Grave Ein is one talkative black devil titan 😛
Will Barbatos talk in season 2, lol.
Convienient power up when asked 😛
Makanai help jump start Kudelia’s political career 😛
Her words go in favor of McGillis’plans.
Inequility? I don’t know much of Arbrau to see it in their viewpoint.
Unless its common knowledge there that Henri is a Gjallarhorn backed candidate.
Ok, if Barbatos came with a manual than things would have gone faster.
Oh. Or is he talking about the katana?
Its a wig!!
She is alive and Iznario is gone.
Wonder will she have a part in season 2.
Does Iznario have a Plan B? Or is he going underground to hatch one?
lol, he gets booted out by his son instead XD
But to leave him alive…is this pawn still useful?
They already have a next job?
Looking forward to season 2!
“lol, he gets booted out by his son instead XD
But to leave him alive…is this pawn still useful?”
The dialogue seems to that indicate that McGillis suggested Iznario go into exile to escape being arrested by the Regulatory Bureau. Because of Ein’s rampage and his interference in the elections Izanrio is in a lot of trouble. McGillis says the exile is to prevent his arrest from bringing further shame to the family name, but it’s really just a convenient way to get him out of the way without killing him, which could raise suspicions about McGillis.
It is possible that McGillis still has a use for his father, or he might just plan to kill him later once the political situation has calmed down.
Yup, McGillis made it very clear on the “exile for his father and family” part.
I just didn’t think of it as putting him away and not arousing suspicion.
Was thinking that Iznario would have gone underground himself, perhaps he is too prideful to do that.
McGillis knows and dished out his hand before Iznario can do anything.
McGillis really is the main driver of IBO maybe they can do a 3 part movie compilation when it all ends, add some scenes to make the story in McGillis’ viewpoint 😛
I just made my 1st comment ever. Someone else should review next season
I won’t believe Gaeliio is officially dead until i see his cold dead body on screen. Too many characters have ‘died’.
I’m thinking the exact same thing with Ein. Unless confirmed dead by official sources I’m gonna be on the lookout for them appearing in season 2.
I seriously can’t name a better gundam series like IBO since probably 00 Season 1(I legitimately like Build Fighters and it’s great. It’s fucking gundam Valhalla but I’m more talkng about “serious” gundam shows). It obviously has it’s flaws and it’s noticeable like every gundam series out there but I feel that IBO has really good characters compared to it’s latest predecessors. I actually care about the characters in Tekkadan. Gaelioo for example is a actually a very sympathetic character compared to like say Garma Zabi. You would this guy would be your typical one dimensional arrogant rich kid in the military but it was not. Kudelia was also good. Anyone who compares her to Relena or Lacus need to re-evaluate her again. She didn’t preach about peach every damn second and is not a boring mary sue like Lacus. There are some characters that I didn’t really like such as Ein. This guy is just a fucking idiot to be honest.
Overall I thought this series is good and I can’t wait for season 2.
I wholeheartedly agree with you. What I liked about this show was that the plight of the orphans felt more credible and personal than a load of teenagers being thrown into war. The mecha battles, though too few for a Gundam series, was greatly choreographed.
So Gaelio got Garma’d after all. Wonder where things are headed next. McGillis is definitely carrying this show IMO.
McGillis is a pretty interesting character. That’s not to say I don’t think he isn’t going to have a fiery death because he creeps me out. Even though he seems to have “noble” goals, everything about him screams villain storywise.
He pretty much currently embodies the saying, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up taking more aggressive and extreme actions against people as things go on just to preserve that vision of Gjallarhorn as people oppose him.
Enzo, do not review the second season. Let someone who gives a shit do it.
Bad decisions by Orga? Are you mad because Orga deicded to fight instead of leaving the place and hiding?
C’mon… He didn’t make ANY bad decision. He just did what he had to do.
This Gundam was awesome. The best TV Gundam since 90’s. The beginning was kind of boring, but after that I have no complaints.
There’s a way to review something without pouring your opinions in it like rain, it’s something done by good writers/reviewers. You have to learn to not be the “CENTER” of the story you’re reviewing otherwise you’re not reviewing but rather pushing an “opinion piece” every week.
All in all this Gundam series ended up being more about the political underworkings than the “Gundams” themselves which previous series focused on much more. I liked that the story started with a simple feel and ended like it too. It almost gave the feel of a small regional conflict having ended rather than the global and space wide conflict it actually was.
I hope S2 focuses a bit more on the gundams from the previous war with new more charismatic characters introduced (like people similar to mcgillis that can use gundams to further their purpose and seeing how they clash with our protagonists) since this season was full of old geezers (understandably because politics ^_^)
This series wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t as terrible as the reviewer would lead you to believe. Hopefully we get a new reviewer for S2 as well.
Despite all the hate you are getting Enzo, I’m glad there’s someone who finally sees the same flaws I did. I have been reading nothing but positive reviews for the ending, and while everyone loves a happy ending, I do feel like it downplayed a lot of what was being said during the course of the show and what was being shown. All the good guys got rewarded, all the bad guys got punished (except McGillis who will see his just-desserts next season too I’m sure), and the only people (Biscuit, Merribit) who had any semblance of sense in the show ended up dead or being irrelevant. It’s a great ending for a happy tale, but IBO imo was not suppose to be a happy tale from everything it tried to portray itself as in the earlier episodes.
I won’t even get into all the random ass-pulls they did to accomplish this in the end, like how none of the main cast dying despite the casualties on the other side just shows how pathetic Gjallarhorn is compared to kids on their first mission, random powerup for Mika to win, Kudelia’s weak speech convincing everyone etc.
Again, this is definitely the opinion of a minority, because as I said, many people loved the ending as far as I can tell, but I’m just glad you saw the same flaws I did. A deep show could have been so much more, just ended up going the safe route. Shame.
Teiwaz girls didn’t get Shrike Team’d, but Gaelio got Garma’d.
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Poor little 00 fanboy, still hung up over a year after the opinionated FILTH he tried to pass off as fact was proven wrong by Bandai, and he still can’t figure out that they have the last say. Pity there’s nothing he can do about it, or about the fact his loss will be mentioned ad infinitum in places he can’t even see, in ways he can’t even imagine.
-waits for the troll to prove me right by temporarily changing his sig or slipping in a hidden line on his next reply, as a desperate bid to keep himself relevant and get in the last word-
Whatever that second season turns out to be, I certainly hope Enzo doesn’t review it because a season of him pontificating on his own ideals makes him the least enjoyable reviewer on the site by far – not to mention that he has his own site now.