The Official Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans Anime Thread Mk III

[AmuroNT1]

My immediate reaction to THAT scene was to shout "WHAT THE FLYING F***?!" out loud. It was so abrupt that I didn't really see it coming.

[yazi88]

One of the things I enjoy about IBO in general is that all the bad guys get brutal and painful deaths... I hope the same thing happens with Iok and Jasley, and possibly Rustal too... these bastards deserve nothing but a painful death from either Mika or Akihiro.

[SNT1]

Eh, Rustal knows how to play the long game, probably the best in the series in that regard. He's too objectively clean right now. Unless McGillis goes full on A Char at the end I don't see him dying. Ousted? Perhaps. Or maybe Orga somehow gets close and triple taps him; I mean that's how half of the named characters in IBO die anyway.

[yazi88]

Rustal is not objectively clean, he is the mastermind behind a lot of Ghjarrhorns atrocities, like the Dort Colony incident in season 1 and he was the one who sent Galan to Earth to start a war between to economic blocs. He's the one instigating a lot of events to help justify Ghjarrhorn's power especially the Ariranrhod fleet. If you mean he's clean as in he knows how to keep the tabs off by manipulating info then I agree, but sooner or later he's going to fall hard, especially with McGillis who also knows how to play the long game, and Iok's stupidity can especially possibly help McGillis bring Rustal down.

[Amion]

Surely we must all agree that being so closely tied to Idiok is dangerous for Rustal. He's got a target painted on his back by McGillis, too.

What I find worrisome is, if he does in fact live to the end, he's probably going to be the winner. I hope not, but that's my second biggest fear.

My number one is Okada pulling what we all know is inevitably approaching: McGillis offing Orga as he did Galileo and Carta. Now maybe that won't happen, but we know he's got a silver forked-tongue. Perhaps if things just go so spectacularly wrong that McGillis isn't in a position to turn the tables. Outside of that...

[SNT1]

Yes, no one can prove in-universe he is behind all those atrocities you mentioned, this, too objectively clean to other characters in said universe. There's a reason that both Tekkadan and McGillis can't just raid him/arrest him (Unlike, say, Jasley's crew, which is gonna get it real soon) He can seriously 'ejecto seato cuz' Iok off his little bandwagon and McGillis will have a harder time pinning this on Rustal. In fact I'll be disappointed if his endgame is a giant mega lazor battleship cannon or a colony drop.

[yazi88]

Outside of another Giant mobile Armor being activated in the end, I highly doubt we'll see giant superweapons or colony drops based on how the show has been structured so far. I hope it keeps to that scaled back expectations on the weapons when compared to other Gundam shows.

I'm actually curious if McGillis might rely on the other families for his uprising like the Bauduin family, given his relationship as being the future son in law. Cause we don't know how big the Ghjarrhorn 7 families fighting power is outside of McGillis's Outer Earth Orbit fleet which he inherited from after he inherited it from the Carta family after being in charge of the Fareed family, and the Arianrhod fleet with Rustal and Iok.

[Soma Taozi]

I THOUGHT IBO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OBVIOUS WITH ITS DEATH FLAGS???!!!

WHAT THE FLYING FUCK?!

Excuse me as I go back into my hole, busy girl and all that, but dear god....jaw on the floor.

[SNT1]

I THOUGHT IBO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OBVIOUS WITH ITS DEATH FLAGS???!!!

WHAT THE FLYING ZOINKS?!

Excuse me as I go back into my hole, busy girl and all that, but dear god....jaw on the floor.

It was obvious (flashbacks of little Lafter meeting Naze and Amide), but what wasn't expected is the death happening 6 minutes later.

[Kyuzo Aoi]

I re-watched that episode and was still saddened by Lafter being disposed like that. Rest in peace.

As for Jasley and co, I would say his lifespan is shortened by 1 or 2 episodes after what happened to the above.

As for Azee, I hope she won't bit it like her 'sister' did. I hope she survives the entire series.

[Kuruni]

I won't surprise if this will be last time we'll see Atra's baby gag.

...because the next time it com back, we're likely learn that it's no longer just a gag. As Amion noted before, the revelation will effectively remove Mika's plot armor in the last conflict.

[mic1402]

Unfortunately i got spoiled on the big event before i watched the episode. So i was just waiting for it to happen. Decent episode overall. Would like to see azee get development and not die tho. Also people on /M/ and Reddit have noted that Lafter and Julietta are mirrored in the OP., meaning that Julietta may not make it to the end of the series.

@ Amion: I've also been wondering about the "why" of McGillis betrayal of Carta and Gaelio. As you say, since he is so good at manipulating people, why kill them? I thought maybe it's because he thought they wouldn't agree with his "purge with fire" approach to fixing things. Or maybe because he wanted total control of the earth fleet, but there does seem to be little reason to kill them when he could simply rule through them, a puppet master in the background.

[Dark Duel]

Oh. My. GOD.

Spoiler

I'll be honest, I was kinda expecting at least one of the surviving girls to get offed at some point, but I definitely was not expecting it to be quite so...sudden. And just the way that the scene itself unfolded makes it even more painful for me, not least because to be honest she was my favorite of the Turbines girls apart from Amida herself.

So, yeah. Apart from that bit of tragedy, one thing that amused me a little bit was Orga's almost annoyed-sounding comment to Mika about the rather long name of "Barbatos Lupus Rex" - provided a much-needed bit of levity in an otherwise quite dark - even by the already grim standards of this series - episode.
And on the other hand, it looks like McGillis's Outer Earth Orbit Regulatory Joint Fleet(Speaking of long-winded names, that one's a winner) is finally starting to gear up for a fight again - might end up finally taking the fight directly to Rustal's forces, so there's that to look forward to.

I just hope that Akihiro or someone brutally and painfully obliterates Idiok, but before that happens it looks like that [CENSORED] Jasley is gonna find himself at the business end of a pissed-off Tekkadan next episode. Can't wait to see that treacherous piece of filth get what's coming to him.

[phillosmaster]

So unless IBO really flubs the ending this show is hands down my favorite Gundam series in a while. Certainly since 00 finished up. They did feel like they were pulling their punches at the end of the first season a bit, but that's all totally changed now. It kinda feels like anyone can go before the end at this point. So that's going to make for some tense drama going into the end of the season.

I usually don't go into anime forums until I've secured a firm opinion on a show usually because I don't want hype or negativity to shape my expectation. I waited until we were a good way into season two before coming back into this thread.

So I'm kinda wondering how is everyone digging the show so far? Am I an outlier in my enthusiasm?

[Shinji_Shinigami]

So I'm kinda wondering how is everyone digging the show so far? Am I an outlier in my enthusiasm?

Personally, i think that IBO has kicked 00 from the throne of my favourite non UC Gundam show. Most non UC shows try to emulate things from the UC too hard. Best example would have been AGE. And i think that IBO, while having some tropes alive, has shown, that it is not just a ripoff, but can stand on his own two feet.

The changes IBO did, to most of the things that happen or show in a Gundam Series, made things interessting. And i especially like the fact, that there is Character interaction and development. So the Action might not be as intense as in 00, but for that fact i like the scenes that involve it. Also, this show has in "a way" one of the most realistic takes on mobile suit repairs, at least in my opinion.

Also, everyone of the cast has a time to shine or something they excel at, and are not potrayed as useless, so the main character looks more awesome (what i call the Dragonball Syndrome).

And i think, how everyone can actually bite the dust, even if it most likeley make the ending to something, that only Hamlet can dream of, earnes some praise. Usually killing is used to put drama up or get rid of loose story ends and whatnot, but in this show, it makes one feel the fragility of life. Sure Drama is in there too, but i like it the way they put it up.

My only hope for the future is, that nothing will be too rushed in the remaining 9 episodes, which would lead to a disapointing ending. I personally do not believe in a "happy" ending, however i hope that some justice is served....and justice, is the name of my Axe...i mean Mobile Suit!

[Dark Duel]

I do agree that with the final few episodes of the first season, it really did feel like they pulled their punches a little bit, especially casualty-wise on the good guys' side. I honestly expected that Shino and at least one of the two Turbines girls would die, so I was just a lil' bit disappointed that all three made it out essentially unscathed.
On the other hand, there's no Gundam show I can think of except 08th MS Team that actually went so far as to permanently cripple its main protagonist, and Mika losing the use of his right eye and arm(except when connected to Barbatos via the AV System) is pretty close to that - so I didn't mind too much. Just a little bit. Plus there was Biscuit's death a little before the finale, which apart from being brilliantly handled itself also resulted in the series giving us THE most utterly brutal beatdown in the history of the franchise IMHO. So overall, mildly disappointed by the lack of main, named character casualties, but satisfied.

And this season, if anything, has substantially raised the already high bar set by the first season of IBO in terms of both casualties and how the series handles its conflicts. And I also agree with the comment above that, while maintaining certain narrative elements and concepts common to the franchise(not all of which I'm all that excited about having been included, but all of which were handled well enough to still be enjoyable and not feel too much like they're rehashing the old well-worn tropes), the series can stand on its own and is distinct from its predecessors, which makes it that much more enjoyable.

To go back to the comparison made above to 00, I would say that IBO so far has been the best Gundam series we've seen since the first season specifically of that series, because I did feel that, by virtue of its fall into the more well-trodden tradition of black-and-white "good guys vs bad guys" narrative as opposed to the more ambiguous situation of the first season, the second season was...not as good as the first. I am very glad to see that, on the other hand, this did not take place, really, with IBO - if anything, the reverse happened, with the situation becoming even more nuanced and ambiguous - vis-a-vis the more obvious factionalization and internal strife among the nominal "antagonist" faction of Gjallarhorn - compared to the first season, where who the good guys and bad guys were was, for the most part, more clear-cut even though in spite of that distinction there was plenty of moral ambiguity to go around on both sides.
So yeah, IBO's been great about that.

[Zeonista]

I love IBO to pieces right now. Suddenly the years evaporate, and I am a young anime fan watching the old UC shows for the first time. Blood! Sudden death, with plot armor denied! Callous and petty villainy! Love conquers all? Oh fuck no! *sings* All we are say-ing. is give war a cha-ance!!

(And the mecha. The cleanly delinieated mecha kick so much ass, and they are used as badass extensions of the will by the young and bold pilots who make them awesome. But this is story, not tech...)

Now, I did think for a minute or two that we were going to get a Good End...and give the story credit, the fact that I already knew better didn't matter. They made me hope for a few minutes, before denying it hard, and I bought it. Well played, IBO, well played. Speaking of hope though, after denying it on one level we get it extended on another with Mikazuki's absurdly abrupt proposition to Atra. (One dare not call it a proposal.) In three minutes or so of fluff (and Atra's latter emotional fallout) the show reaffirms its theme that the liberty and protection of family and home matters more than all the government policies and proclamations out there.

Fatal Smugness: Jasley, you clever fool. Your smug posing only drew attention to yourself. Your subsequent petty desire to put the boot in while your declared rivals were down has overreached your strategic posturing. You and your Gjallarhorn himbo are about to get into an all-out fight with Tekkadan, who declares victory when all their foes are slain or routed from the field. And we will cheer every strike that results in a secondary explosion.
Bros!: Akihiro's pre-date encouragement from his brothers in arms was a fine scene.
She's like the wind: Ah poor Akihiro, didn't think he was good enough for Lafter. Well he wasn't, but that's hardly the point! He's come a long way from the stolid meat tank who wasn't convinced Orga's takeover of Tekkadan was a good idea.
You sure bro?: Mikazuki's significant gaze when Orga witholds his hand the first time.
Akihiro bear: Five poignant seconds of feels as only anime can deliver. We'll have it cleaned and sent to Amion, who can hug it while witnessing the fulfilment of the prediction I made two episodes ago.
Immortal stupidity: Idiok, whose contract with Mephistopheles has not yet expired.
Hey Stupid: Speaking of Idiok, dude, have you not yet understood that you have no friends or loyal allies? Yeah, I didn't think so...
Wanna make a baby?: Mikazuki, the Gundam pilot protagonist gift that keeps on giving. Why? Because IBO rightly wrote and developed him against type and scored big time.
Mind blown: Atra-chan, whose heart is not prepared despite all her planning. Kawaii!!

[Amion]

I think the overall reception to IBO has been good. The first season left the crowds wanting much more, and wasted serious space in doing so. But only fifteen episodes later into its second season IBO has risen above the muck of the 2000's to grasp the high bar of UC quality. It so far appears doggedly determined to hold on tight, and improve as it goes.

There's still crowds,I think, who don't appreciate that the whole of mankind isn't at stake yet, but the truth is the internal conflict playing out holds a significant place in PD history. Whoever grasps victory in this war essentially grasps the thrones of Earth and Mars. I love that dynamic.

One thing I would like to point out is the shift in storytelling. The first season is mostly unremarkable. It's not forgettable, but it's just not something to go back to again, save on one or two rare moments where everything seemed to hit home. Season 2, from the very outset, has sent a successive wave of feels one after another, while seriously developing its characters. We still have nine or so more episodes, possibly more if we get 51 or 52 total, which I'm honestly hoping for.

The intensity of the story due to its focus on actual combat has done nothing but good things for it, pacing, characterization, and otherwise. It's forced Okada to focus on actually building up characters before their expiration date runs out, while keeping tension up with the drama and potential casualties.

Where will this end, none can say for sure as yet, but bodies are expected to rise, and hopefully on the villain side if nowhere else. I think I'd be ok with that, honestly. Tekkadan deserves a happy conclusion to their war.

[mic1402]

I have mixed feelings about IBO. Ultimately i think it will depend on how well they do the ending.
I first started watching IBO when the first season was airing, but then stopped at the end of the dort arc as i had gotten a bit bored of gundam at the time, and the show it wasn't grabbing me.

However about when the season 2 earth arc finished up, i started watching again, and pretty much binged the all the aired episodes in a few days.
So i have enjoyed the show, and haven't found it boring. I like the world, the characters and the mechs. (Despite the hipster in me wanting compare it unfavorably to G-reco, the shows are too different...)

However i cannot help but agree with a number of criticism said about the show. Lack of character development/static characters, lethargic pacing, and unexplained plot points abound. The sometimes few and lackluster fights doesn't help. The second season has certainly improved on the shows flaws, It still suffers from the amount of "dead time" in the first season. The lack of character development is probably the big thing, and yes the second season has been doing that, but is it do little to late?
Hence my original point, for me it will depend on how they do the ending. We still have unexplained plot points from the first season...

And while i've enjoyed the show, i don't know if i can put it up there with my favorite anime from the past year or so: My hero Academia.

[phillosmaster]

It is nice to see I'm not alone mostly in my enthusiasm

I have heard the "dead time" criticism before during season one. While I agree this is not a fast paced series I also didn't find that as a problem. I find it refreshing that this series is paced differently from how we'd expect from a mecha series. There isn't a forced conflict every episode to parade the mecha in front of the characters. The fights themselves are short and usually brutal since they still lean heavily on melee combat to damage each other (pretty remarkable in my opinion that they haven't fallen back on beam weaponry even at this point). Also I appreciate that every now and then the show allows for everything to slow down so we can see how things are taking root. I can see how some people might not appreciate that sort of yo-yo effect on the pacing though. That's just gonna come down to a matter of taste.

I'm not sure I can get on board with the characters being static though at least on the Tekkedan side. I think pretty much everyone has developed in some way at this point (mostly by accepting more responsibility) and the ones that are resistant to change are that way for a reason (Mika, Akihiro). Even then Mika has had one of the most interesting journeys so far I've ever seen for a Gundam protagonist. We see him flounder toward the middle of the two seasons and try and explore what his life could be without war. Then in probably one of the most memorable scenes in the show we get that talk between a paralyzed Mika and Orga just after the battle with the Hashmal. Mika saying he was glad that he was paralyzed was sobering, and kind of reminded me of the plot of "The Hurt Locker", where the main character of that movie kept volunteering to return to combat because he was too disconnected from civilian life, and life in combat made more sense to him. His regression is a character journey and sometime we end up where we started. Akihiro I would suggest as the most subborn character in the serious is taking baby steps toward change. I will agree that the Gjallarhorn characters are less the spot light so usually all we see is them reacting and scheming. Even Mcgillis, who we've explored since the beginning of the series is more a cypher to us than a character who is growing. We just learn more about his motivations and the evolution of his plan. We don't see him go on a journey where he becomes something else or something more than when he started. That said this is character development of a sort. Some characters will mature as the series goes on and some will enter the story fully formed. Their development having already happened off screen and we just discover it as we go. I think this forms a nice distinction between the young upstart Tekkedan and the old, established incumbent Gjallarhorn.