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「ヒューマン・デブリ」 (Hyuuman deburi)
“Human Debris”
There are no coincidences in space…
The feels were running pretty hot and heavy in this week’s episode of Tekketsu no Orphans, which still has all the earmarks of a story setting up for some major tragedy but has yet to really bring the hammer down. The first requirement for any tragedy to work dramatically is a sense of consequence, and the series has done a pretty darn good job of establishing that. Now it’s really just a question, I think, of seeing what form the tragedy will take.
Remarkably, Takaki seems to have dodged the veritable forest of death flags he set waving with last week’s episode (up to and including the fact that he didn’t appear in the preview) but it was a near thing. The attackers who put he and Akahiro in peril were another band of pirates called the Brewers, but the first point here is that their shock troops are yet another band of little boy soldiers with Ālaya-Vijñāna implants forced to work for the benefit of greedy adults. There’s another salient point about these pirates, but we won’t learn it until late in the episode.
It’s certainly convenient for plot’s sake that one of the attacking pilots is none other than Akihiro’s little brother, Masahiro (Yamashita Seiichirou) – and not only that, he’s the one who grabs the wounded Takaki as a hostage. It’s at this point all hell pretty much breaks loose, with the arrival of the boys’ leader Kudal Cadel (a pleasantly unhinged Fujita Yoshinori) and the fighting femmes from the Hammerhead. It’s hard to see things between the brothers ending well, for now everyone limps back to their corner intact – though Masahiro has to endure a brutal beating from Kudal for his perceived failures on the battlefield.
Back on the Hammerhead there are lots of self-recriminations going around. Stapleton manages to save Takaki, which only makes Kudelia feel more useless. Kudelia is becoming a bit of a problem in that while her existence is a huge story driver, she herself isn’t doing much to drive anything. I think it’s high time for her to stop saying she can’t do anything and do- well, anything. Orga takes Stapleton’s critique that sailing without a ship’s doctor is a failure as a leader to heart, but he frankly should because he’s 100% right – even back to the days when naval warfare was conducted on sailing ships a doctor on board was a must.
It’s as this point that McGillis and Gaelio reenter the story, as usual Fareed makes this more interesting with his presence. The interactions with Gaelio’s sister (his fiancee) are throwaway, but Fareed reveals that he was behind the pirate attack on the Hammerhead – and to some extent, why. I still don’t see him as a force for evil in this series, or at least not simply that – he seems to have a genuine interest in returning Gjallarhorn to its days as a respected peacekeeper (his father is played by the great Hayami Shou, and seems to be part of the problem of corruption plaguing it) , and a delicate touch with how he handles his political and military affairs. Kudelia is, of course, crucial to Fareed’s plans – in this sense like the human debris she’s joined her fate to in being a tool used by others to pursue their own ends, and one that longs to be more than that.
Preview
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Well, this was a great episode.
There was so much great stuff here that I just have to savor it all.
The fight itself was great, I liked how we got to see two sides that both have A-V systems and how Mika now has a group of weapons that he has to use. His fight with Kudal and the Guison was interesting, Guison’s hammer and armor is it’s strengths, but it runs out of power very quickly.
Barbatos is able to hold it’s own, but it’s sword is not a sudden kill-all weapon either.
And while Mika is fighting, the Brewer’s child slave pilots are going after Akihiro and Takaki, to the point that Takaki is captured and severely injured. Akihiro goes right after him, but meets a different little brother instead.
We meet Masahiro, who looks just as surprised to see his big brother here. However, their reunion is cut short and Aki has to get Takaki back to the ship, and Merribit shows her “mom” skills as she gets to work as the ship’s impromptu medical officer. She was right to censure Orga about his lack of a ship’s doctor, but then again, I can understand why he didn’t have one. I mean, where was he going to get one? They didn’t have enough money or time to search for and hire one, and also there’s the fact that they haven’t done so well with outsiders as of yet. However, it is all part of the learning process and Orga will have to find one soon. Though I’m sure Merribit can stay one in that capacity until he hires one. Takaki is going to be fine, though I do have to say that I was really scared for his life.
I really liked the sidestep we had here with McGillis and Gaelio, who have made it back to Earth in a really speedy fashion. We meet McGillis father and learn that he and Gaelio come from two of the 7 family that started Gjallerhorn (The 7 Stars), but it doesn’t look like McGillis likes his dad very much. Earth looks so beautiful in comparison with Mars, and it looks like there’s plenty of Earth/Mars prejudice to go around. We meet Gaelio’s sister, who is a really cutie-pie, and McGillis seems to like her a lot, though really more as a little sister than a potential wife. In fact there seem to be a lot of things weighing heavily on his mind, so much so that Tekkadan and Kudelia are on the back burner. From what he’s suggesting, he knows about Gjallerhorn’s corruption and seeks to correct it from the inside out. If there was any doubt he’s the maskless Char clone for this series, he continues to seal the deal. I want to know more about his plans now and I am excited to see where things go on his end as well.
Also, Todo is his informant?! Well I didn’t think that was the last time we would see the guy, but derp-hitler is hilarious, so we’ll see him get his just deserts.
That snake Kudal and his pig boss have got to go. They treat their child slaves horribly, not only beating them horribly, but they all look starved half to death. And while that one kid is in a bit of a rage right now, I really hope Tekkadan and the Turbines are able to save Masahiro and the rest of them. Tekkadan could always use more additions to the family.
Akihiro is beating himself up, that slave mentality is very hard to shake and will take a lot of time to get over. I’m glad that someone didn’t try to do the more violent “shaking him out of that mindset” techniques, and instead, they all supported him and swore to get his brother back. Because like they said, Masahiro isn’t just his brother, but theirs now as well.
I’m really liking the combination of action and development and I can’t wait for the next episode.
I was shock no one die!
Pedro died.
Poor named-character, dying in this show before we even heard his voice (let alone saw his face). Screentime-wise, Danji, who died in episode 1, is a bit luckier than this poor SOB (future flashback notwithstanding).
Heh, so I won my bet I placed in the ep. 10 page that this ep. 11 will show how Mikazuki was able to catch up to Isaribi. He was launching with a giant booster. Now where’s that fellow who complained that Mika/Barbatos just “teleported” outta nowhere last week?
Anyway, a solid episode. Really like how Takaki didn’t just succumb under the raining of death flags and survived. But the fight in this episode seems like a mere warm up. I see a more brutal fight with the Brewers in the future (or maybe next episode) that will result in someone’s death from the “good guys”-side.
Most likely Masahiro after a quick turncoat.
Kudelia still feeling powerless but i expect her leadership role will come up someday. Thats were Mcgillis is waiting to start probing the corruption officials.
Yeah, this is my thing with Kudelia. She IS useless right now, because she’s simply a passenger on a combat vessel, so while the show keeps hammering on this, MOST people would be useless if they were on a combat vessel. It doesn’t mean that she, as a person, is useless. Once they finally get to Earth and half to start negotiating with governments (assuming it doesn’t just get anime-resolved via a duel for the fate of the world) she will be far MORE useful than a group of uneducated kids. That should be so obvious to people in the show that it kind of annoys me they keep coming back to this point. (not really a complaint though, still love the show) But I get how distressing it would be to see friends fighting and wounded and not be able to help.
Kudelia Powers are in the Politic, where Tekadan is weak or not exist. As long Kudelia keep the “Money flow” up for Tekadan, she has her own Power.
all of the Villains (perhaps even Teiwaz) want her has Treasure for their own greed
Even our Blue Knights are not Paladin’s, they surly are more white then the Pirates and CGC. But they still “look down” on Tekaden, and special this one that endure all to just kill these kids
We could get a “happy” ending if Kudal is killed or disabled first. The way he treats the boys it would not be a surprise at all if they betrayed him when offered an out. At the same time it would definitely bolster Tekkadon’s forces having 3-4 experience pilots + suits.
That’s pretty much what I hope, also Tekkadan could use more protection. They only have the two suits and mobile workers, which aren’t very effective in space combat. In fact, the Brewers also have three ships that could be of use or sold to bring in more money.
But beyond all that, I really want them to get those kids out of there.
For once I think a lot of folks that were guessing that either Fumitan or Merribit
(I still can’t get her name right without looking back to my own comment last week <.<' )was the informant should be glad to be wrong… I guess connections are connections for the ‘stash-man…At least Merribit adds to the “outside looking in” perspective (and Orga is still apprehensive of having a
nannyliason onboard…just don’t tell him that I said that).…o yeah, next week – from my reddit comment:
ps. Kudelia, try and learn something practical then!
pps. I wonder why Almiria is that into of being wedded with her beloved “Macky”, despite being 9 years old… Oh wait, nvm…
Like you said, there are many little girls who dream of their wedding, it a common dream. I’m not surprised at all. Also, there’s the fact that she knows that she has a duty to her family to marry him and she’s still at tr he age where all she wants is to please her parents and such. Also, McGillis is very nice to her and he’s charming and handsome, also he’s rich and comes from a noble family, need I go on? 😛
The Gundam Gusion may be ugly, but the way it handles that hammer reminds me of Vita from Nanoha A’s…and that’s a good thing. Also, bonus points for the hammer resembling a supersized Mjolnir (minus the “only the worthy may wield” shtick).
I wonder if averting death flags is the “anti-ex machina” of anime? Not that I mind.
And finally, I wonder if whatever plan McGillis is currently cooking up involves a coup d’etat and taking over Gjallarhorn while using Tekkadan as unwitting pawns? Seriously, the Treize Khushrenada vibes I sense from the guy are getting stronger.
On the less serious side, LOL at Nadi struggling to pilot that booster…
So next episode might be about Tekkadan mounting a rescue operation to save Akihiro’s younger brother? (Or, you know, the death flags might get played straight this time…)
I like that Orga took Merribit’s criticism to heart but I think it’s important not to come down too hard on him. Orga didn’t ‘recruit’ anyone. It’s not like he made sure he had an engineer and a pilot and security but no doctor. All of Tekkadan is just the random people he was stuck with basically, competent as they are.
I think the key in that scene is her pointing out, and Orga realizing, that if Tekkadan is going to be more than just a random band of orphans he will need to make sure he has the necessary people for an organization, whether they’re originally members of his ‘family’ or not. In terms of the show though, it seems clear that Merribit will simply slide into that position.
True, Orga has been working since the beginning with what he had, but the criticism is still spot on: he had time in Teiwaz’s base to look for or ask for a doctor, and money to hire someone. Given their line of work, knowing they will need one sooner or later is not a far-fetched assumption. Makes me wonder who the doctor was back in Mars.
I agree, but I think it’s a false critique. Orga’s entire ship is staffed by children. With the possible exception of Mika and maybe Biscuit, none of them have been shown to be the best possible recruits for the job. The groups simply isn’t built that way. Yes, he needs a doctor. But he probably could also use a cook that wasn’t the random girl from the corner shop, or an engineer who didn’t very specifically say he doesn’t really know what he’s doing, or pilots with actual training.
Tekkadan is not an organization put together on the premise of having the right people for the job. So like I said, while he obviously does need a doctor and even in the episode he took it to heart, I think it’s important to see it as part of the potential overall evolution of Tekkadan rather than some specific failing on Orga’s part.
Not really. Even if they are not professionals, they still have someone who knows engineering, someone who knows how to cook edible food and several amateur pilots who at least have undergone training in simulators. However, as proven in this episode, they didn’t have anyone who knows medicine, not even to provide first aid.
Favorite part of the episode for me was when it started playing the ED in the background during the last couple of minutes(Takaki waking up, Orga and Naze’s conversation, Mikazuki drifting away while looking at the Gundam). Damn that’s a beautiful song.
The ED may not have any flashy animation or girls pole dancing semi nude, but that single still picture speaks thousand words. And that is more than enough.
Ok, so Macky has some big ambition of reform.
Would be easy if he had Geass 😛
Ein just want revenge, will follow anyone.
Wonder where will it take him.
That Gusion pilot reminds me of the durain Rider in Gaim 😛
But a lot more exaggerated.
Wonder if Mikazuki will learn some ougi from some sword master then apply it to Barbatos.
Like Lowe of Astray.
I suppose they should be on Earth by episode 13?
The Kimaris kit releases next month so it should appear in the second cour.
Somehow Ein being a Martian Gjallarhorn and despised reminds me of Aldnoah.Zero.
Will he eventually get a Gundam?
“Ok, so Macky has some big ambition of reform.
Would be easy if he had Geass :P”
I don’t think he needs it. He seems more than competent enough.
https://randomc.net/image/Gundam%20Tekketsu%20no%20Orphans/Gundam%20Tekketsu%20no%20Orphans%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2028.jpg
I smell here “Children Sweets” Merchandising in Real Life…
When these Galahorjn Blue Guys done talking at home, i got a glimpse of the World now. i approve that. The Show base is solid build, give it now fancy Fights (you done well in this Episode), continue showing us the interaction of the takkedan crew, long lost Brothers found themselves again (i was speculating that this one on Galahorjn side, that went to Earth). And i sense a Love story rising with our Tekkadan bos and the “ship’s Doctor” (it is written all over his and her face.. and my guts)
Yes, i like all paths you choose for all of them. even for the Maid. Please continue to entertain me. i look forward to this
copy and paste my reddit comment
Great episode review. Was that so hard?
Not this again lol
I think it’s a valid observation. These reviews have a rather conspicuous lack of comments compared to other reviews on randomc and compared to reviews of this show on other blogs, and I think it’s because they were so weirdly and sort of begrudgingly written for the first couple of months. It’s gotten better, but they still feel like someone being forced to do a job they have no desire to do, which is a bit silly on a fan blog.
With this, you’re very close to becoming more annoying than Okada mentions. Despite how annoying Enzo’s Okada mentions might have been, you really don’t need to act passive aggressive when you’re getting what you wanted. This is like the Okada mentions never actually left, because complains about Okada mentions still exist.
Okada.
How many more times can I cram Okada’s last name in this post? I’m aiming for your maximum annoyance. Might as well also remark how she’s an unreliable writer and curse her for getting away with having her Black Butler slash fanfic be animated instead of the actual source material.
Okada.
Poor space Guts…
No matter the anime, Guts always has to suffer.
So true. 🙁
I like this one but I notice a trend that IBO seems to stumble a bit with its even numbered offerings. Wobbly pacing, maybe? When will they come to Earth?! Darn it.
Well, I for one, am glad because no semi major character died given the death flags and the decision to get Akihiro’s little brother is a smart choice.
The pacing is definitely an issue here. They use so much time on meaningless talks and scenes which contribute nothing new when they should be developing the main cast more or world-building. It’s still not to late to fix that.
Now I realize how glad I am the Gundam here is not a godly overpowered machine. Better than most, sure (and by the end of the series, it will probably be upgraded to the point it can destroy entire armies), but still beatable. Makes sense, since it’s supposed to be an old machine.
Well, to be fair, the Gundam Gusion that it’s fighting against here, is just as old, so they should be equally matched in that department.
That’s the mild version of what I wanted to write. At this point we can call Kudelia’s whining stock footage.
Well, she thinks “Because of me, peoples die”
It is good to see, that they try to help here. But looks like someones are just blind or do not want to see that, because she is a female
I agree and disagree with this. Kudelia reacts rather logically to the situations that she finds herself in, if that doesn’t conform to plot arcs the way you and the reviewer want, I’m sorry.
That said, as I mentioned above my problem with her self-recrimination is that anyone, including herself or viewers or whatever, even EXPECTS her to be useful right now. She is a passenger. That is it. The simple fact that she is doing anything besides sitting in her room while the people she hired to get her to Earth do their jobs is actually going above and beyond the call. It’s like getting mad your taxi is stuck in traffic and you don’t have a driver’s license. It’s not your job. It’s the taxi driver’s job. All of the things that Kudelia keeps saying she’s no help in are things that there’s no reason for her to help with.
The main problem with this is, very likely, the end of her arc is going to be getting to Earth and using her political know-how to help these people “in a way only she can” and it’s going to be treated like she’s found her calling. The problem is, she already knows that. That was her plan BEFORE episode 1. Going and negotiating cannot and should be treated as character growth for her because that was already her character. She needs to do something else if they’re going to focus so hard on this idea that she hasn’t found what she’s good at.
Well, She is giving School lesson to read and write
also, Kudelia’s trump card could be “Alliance”
Yes, she could form an Alliance on Earth that are equal to Galahorjn (or how they are written). Some kind of Cold War pact. right now, there is no one. Only the Law of the Strongest keep the Peace so far.
That would spice this Gundam universe up here
sorry…
But is it not ironic? She seeks for Peace, but where she goes, War is her Shadow
ep 12:
Show Spoiler ▼
Does it upset you guys that giant robots might be impractical? What do you guys say to this?: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/gee…ts-are-stupid/
I mean this link: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/geekend/sci-fi-rant-why-giant-mecha-robots-are-stupid/