The Official Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans Anime Thread Mk III

[Kuruni]

Mika probably sacrifice the remaining half of him to Barbatos.

I also have feeling that the staff have some nasty event for Julietta and Shino's death is there to make it more acceptable (she has lot of fan, I'm pretty sure about that). Maybe Gaelio will find that Rustal isn't that different from McGillis when it come to using people like tool.

[domino]

Gaelio is indeed in an interesting position

He's out for revenge against McGillis rightfully but at the same time, he is happy to turn a blind-eye to Rustal's machinations. He ought to realize that he's not really in the right here

[mobiusdiablo]

So I found something amusing and pertaining to this episode that everyone will enjoy in a sort of... amusing way.

Spoiler

https://streamable.com/6x9oe

[nacho-wan]

I think that the Dusliff usage is unjustified. Ghallarhorn was on Naze's tail for just carrying those creepy bullets and now the main fleet happens to be carrying at least ten Dusliff launchers just in case somebody fired a nail at them. Totally unfair and corrupt. Just enough to frame Rustal as a war criminal and proof of Ghallarhorn corruption.

As the overall episode, It did give me the shivers thinking that at anytime anyone can die... Even a Gundam pilot. I don't see a happy ending for this show, heck I have no idea was it is going to happen next week. Tekkadan is surely screwed

[AmuroNT1]

I think you misunderstood. The entire thing was a false flag operation: Rustal had one of his own men sneak into McGillis' forces and use a Dáinsleif so he could claim "they fired first", which would make him justified in deploying them himself. The fact that he had about three dozen Grazes equipped with Dáinsleif launchers ready to be used at a moment's notice made it blatantly obvious that the entire thing was a ploy.

On the flipside of the coin, Shino had Yamagi prepare Dáinsleif projectiles for Flauros to use, presumably because they caught on to Iok's trick and wanted to be ready just in case Rustal tried the same trick.

[domino]

Agreed with AmuroNT1

It appears that the Dainsleif shots CAN be dodged though! Notice that neither McGillis, Mika nor Gaelio seem to have had much difficulty whereas it seems all of the surrounding forces have been wiped out!

[X_zoro]

I'm kinda getting sick and tired of Hush getting saved all the time, I mean did we not see few episodes ago where He was training so he wouldn't hold anyone back ? what are the IBO writers even trying to do with him make him a Joke ? if that the case what was the point of his back story and character development ? if you guys want a joke character use Todo for god sake, I promise you nobody gives a flying fuck about him, but I actually care about Hush, he shows respect and dose what his told, there is no reason for him to be treated like this, also notice some of the characters act like dicks to him like dante ( the same guy who wanted to put kill points on his shiden and his telling hush not to be lame like LOL ? what ?) sorry for the rant its just something that I find annoying lately and I just wanted to let it out.

[Amion]

What I find funny is Rustal was giving Idiok a hard time for using the Deinsleifs at all, and had him in solitary confinement. But then he uses the exact same excuse in front of Gjallarhorn. Regardless if someone else is using it, the 'sleifs are taboo. He broke taboo. No words he can use will work if McGillis is even an ounce as smart as he's supposed to be. Is someone not filming this? Is there no video evidence being gathered? What about witnesses who can attest to the Rusty plant shooting himself? Medically speaking it's VERY easy to tell whether someoen was shot or did the shooting. It should be easy to gather up the evidence and present it.

Back to the video though. If this is playing out in real time, or even partially to the other Houses, or even the other governments, what is to stop them from joining in against him? A major taboo-breaker is a far greater traitor than a political murderer, especially if Rustal decides to come back as a conqueror. With Deinsleifs in hand, he can.

But I despair of McGillis having even that iota of good sense. He arrayed his battle fleets foolishly, and didn't even try to reform them when he saw what Rusty was doing aiming for the revolutionary ships alone. And now it appears most of them are gone, as is his podium puppet. Good grief. Not even the Titans were this stupid. They at least had the excuse of knowing they were taking the AEUG with them when as they went, despite fears of the superlaser firing (Which it almost didn't, thanks to the battle in the cannon well)

[The Green Flame]

Maybe I'm remembering it wrong but I think the real issue Rustal had was using it against civilians (well, mostly civilians). What Rustal is did is better in that regard since it's at least a military target though clearly his motives for it are more 'Well I can't use the rest of them if they're dead man.'

[Kuruni]

No, he didn't punish Idiok for using Deinslaif, he punish him for causing trouble by use it without reason and leaving witness/evidence behind. As noted, Rustal at least can claim McGillis use it first.

In ideal world, people would notice that there're only two shots of Deinsalif come from Revolution Fleet/Tekkdan while dozens come from Arianrhod. Too bad that even in reality a single gunshot would be enough to justify such militaristic brutality. Heck, it's pretty much Rustal's favorite plan, remember Dort Massacare?

[domino]

I'm pretty sure that Gaelio doesn't realize that Rustal is using him too

Rustal saw through McGillis' plan for quite a while and yet did nothing to warn the other 7 stars. He MUST have his own agenda in mind.

[yazi88]

Rustal probably had a back-up plan in case the 3 other families turned on him, but probably knew how little their forces would have done because McGillis's fleet is mostly made of soldiers with little combat experience which probably is the same for the other 3 families. I'm using Carta from season 1 as a example, she was the head of the orbit fleet which had good equipment but also made of soldiers that saw little combat. Rustal's fleet is the strongest in Gjarrhorn not only because they have the best units, but also because their pilots are well trained and have seen quite a bit of combat compared to the rest of Gjharrhorn. Rustal's fleet is the equivalent of the Titans elite forces vs the rest of Earth Federation from Zeta Gundam.

[X_zoro]

Feel better after saying my piece, I would love for the show to prove me wrong, (but for some reason I doubt it) all in all one of the weaker parts in IBO ( everything else is good tho) building certain characters up and doing nothing with them, makes you wonder what was the point in having new members in Tekkadan in the first place, they didn't even interact with the old cast, might as well have made them one off characters.

[domino]

The show has a habit of rushing through certain bits of character development in order to achieve plot points (Alston's death and the Earth arc) while lingering on others until an 'explosive conclusion' (Biscuit, and basically each member of Turbines)

It's definitely disappointing that "nothing" is happening with Hush but he has achieved his goal of being a pilot - in a custom unit no less. He's no slouch but has neither the combat experience nor AV system to keep up with the higher-level pilots he's facing

It's possible that if they're going to rush Mika & Astra then we may see an episode bring an interesting development to Hush

[X_zoro]

The show has a habit of rushing through certain bits of character development in order to achieve plot points (Alston's death and the Earth arc) while lingering on others until an 'explosive conclusion' (Biscuit, and basically each member of Turbines)

It's definitely disappointing that "nothing" is happening with Hush but he has achieved his goal of being a pilot - in a custom unit no less. He's no slouch but has neither the combat experience nor AV system to keep up with the higher-level pilots he's facing

It's possible that if they're going to rush Mika & Astra then we may see an episode bring an interesting development to Hush

I just think now that he has an upgrade, he shouldn't need to have Mika save him all the time, the first few times were okay but now its just getting dumb, even Ride didn't get this much saving.

[domino]

Even with an upgrade, Hush doesn't have the combat experience and has the distinct disadvantage of no AV

[Zeonista]

I have been busy these past couple weeks, so I have not been able to rave as much as I wanted to. Toob ad, because the buildup to the climax final battle was great, and had dramatic tension I haven't felt in an AU Gundam series in a long time. And it is shaping up to be a true carnival of carnage with enough dramatic death scenes to make Tomino-sama smile and raise a sake cup.

Well all the pre-battle plotting, politicking, and posturing is over, now it's time to let the God of Battles decide. Unlike other AU series, or 80% of all contemporary anime, the good guys (or what passes for them in IBO) are in actual jeapordy this time. It's an uphill fight against a skilled opponent who has every advantage. Sort of like my niece when I have in the past served as her Yugioh tournament practice opponent. In the face of such power, skill, and treachery, what can Orga & McGillis do?

Well, they can be old-fashioned heroic leaders, for a start. Just because Rustal had a great opening run doesn't mean he is the winner yet. McGillis leads from the front in Bael, leading his young fighters with great style. And Orga pulls another awesome tactical move, improvising from the situation at hand. The unplanned-for manuever almost sets Rustal's strategy at naught, as it does not fail from lack of trying, at least. Meaanwhile Tekkadan has broken through Rustal's front lines and the resulting MS melee has that lovely Tomino-era "anything can happen" vibe.

Winners write the history: Rustal's real strategic goal of the final battle.
CHARGE!: The Orga & McGillis response to that strategy. Guts can carry the dayett sometimes if one is prepared to accept the butcher's bill for it.
Return of Yazan Gable: Idiok, whom like Yazan I hate with the fire of consuming righteous fury, constantly stoked by his undeserved survival.
Gundam Slashed: Poor Yamagi, left behind again...
coup de main: Rustal's face when he realizes that Tekkadan played him and now the battle hangs on a single shot. Totally worth it.
Desperate Fury: Julietta, who learned a lot from being schooled earlier. Still won't help her against Mika-kun though.
Blaze of Gundam Glory: IBO has ruthlessly pruned the cast list this season, but they have shown more of a prediliction to make it a meaningful death in action when & where required.
"FEEL OUR SPIRIT!!": Shino, all the way.
Still alive: Hush, who still has a chance to live...and do something while the aces in GUndams bash each other.

[Swithin]

So I just caught up on the discussion here after the latest episode, and forgive me if this isn't the place for speculation and rambling but I think McGillis's recent actions are explainable and completely consistent with both his long-game and his place in the narrative structure of the show. Ever since he showed interest in the Hashmal being unearthed (and wryly scoffing at Iok's assumption that he'd ever want to *destroy* one,) I figured he'd have something to do with re-activating an army of Mobile Armors. Since then they have barely been mentioned except as a yardstick for Mika's combat efficiency at full AV-synchronization. They're giant autonomous self-replicating-and-repairing human extinction devices, and we haven't yet been given a clue as to who designed them and for what purpose. That's an important detail, and I think that's going to be relevant to the finale and ultimate conflict that defines the show.

For the last four or five episodes McGillis has been ruminating on the life and "true character" of Agnika Kaieru, an almost religiously revered figure whom he believes to be universally misunderstood and with whom only he can relate because they have similar life experiences. We've seen Fareed's childhood in flashbacks - he grew up powerless, abused or dismissed by anyone and everyone who had even one grain more influence than he did, and was eventually adopted by a supposed paragon of virtue to be his sex toy (not exactly how Agnika is usually perceived!) He pretty much summed up the lesson he learned from all this - the strong take what they want, and all the niceties of society, from the rules of the street he had to follow as an urchin to the courtly etiquette of Gjallarhorn he learned as the scion of one of the Seven Stars families, are just a game you play to keep your reputation clean and your influence (and access to all those pesky, illicit, inhuman things you crave) growing. He probably does hate the hypocrisy, but given the choice between staying weak or playing to win... well, first you win, then you can flip the table and get away with it.

How does this relate to Agnika Kaieru? Well, the man went from likely some minor notability to Immortal God King, his cult ruling over humanity while literally awaiting his soul's rebirth, by destroying Mobile Armors. He set the rules of the game, Mobile Armor kill-count equals privilege (how laughable and arbirtrary is that?) and then dominated at it. I have a sneaking suspicion that McGillis has basically gone full Killing Joke Joker, and realizes that Agnika Kaieru did the same 300 years ago, as follows: my guess is that AK is the mastermind behind the design and release of the Mobile Armors, and therefore responsible for the Calamity War, with the full intention of coming to the rescue as a co-founder of Gjallarhorn. Furthermore, I think that the whole thing was a long con. My suspicion is that Macky wanted to activate Bael so desperately not only because of its strength as a symbol, but because he deduced that it can remotely control the Mobile Armors. I don't think Agnika Kaieru would ever put himself in any real danger - although all the other pilots were, of course - he was just putting on an elaborate Punch and Judy show where he always slew the most dragons and saved the day. Bael is the very first Gundam, number 01, and the first mobile suit to use the Alaya-Vijnana system, with Kaieru himself the first confirmed user (assuming it was also the first completed Gundam Frame.) It also has, so far as we know uniquely, a lock placed on it so that seemingly no-one but the original pilot can ever operate it. I think this was more to hide its secret function than to create a sword-in-the-stone for the next Arthur to pull out, and I wouldn't be entirely surprised if the AV system was created specifically because it was a necessary component for the MA puppeteering. I'm not sure if McGillis found a way to hack Bael's security, or if the imprint (or actual brain-in-a-jar, who knows,) of Agnika Kaieru recognized a kindred spirit and accepted him the way Barbatos did Mika and Ein did Gaelio, but this is the deceitful and sanctimonious tradition I expect McGillis to carry on from Bael's cockpit. In any case, once he sees that Gjallarhorn hasn't rolled over (thanks Rustal) and announced him as Agnika Reborn, he'll go to Plan B: having the angelic host wipe out his enemies, which should provide us with the opportunity for everyone else to make nice and fight the real enemy together.

In contrast to McGillis we have Mika, who has been damaged in many of the same ways, suffered similar dehumanization, and has been used as a disposable instrument for the rich and powerful. He too has been to dark places and has quite a bit of blood on his hands, but he hasn't given up on the world the way McGillis has. The difference is that Mika has family, and that (for better or worse) they've defined their own concept of "moving forward." Mika fights to get somewhere with his friends while McGillis just wants to be at the top of the heap, the only place where no-one can punch down at you. I have a feeling that the final confrontation will be (yet again) between the fighter who draws strength from his friends versus the nihilist loner who's above making emotional attachments. So that's basically my take on Fareed and his recent activity.

As for Hush, I see people questioning why he hasn't stood out yet. I don't really think he's supposed to, just like the other two guys in his class (the big guy and Ducky from Pretty in Pink whose names I don't remember) are also unimpressive when compared to their more experienced counterparts. The point is that Tekkadan has become a place for these kinds of cast-offs, and is no longer just a collection of specific ex-CGS members but an institution that will see generations of similar young men (and eventually women?) come through, grow into their own stories, and then mentor the next batch.

ps - Poor Yamagi. As much as it might cheapen the blow at the end of 45, I kinda hope Shino's alive enough to make it back (but not so much as to attempt another sortie.)

[AmuroNT1]

Shino had his helmet off and the Flauros' cockpit was destroyed. Even if he survived the blast, he wouldn't last very long in the vacuum of space.

[Swithin]

Shino had his helmet off and the Flauros' cockpit was destroyed. Even if he survived the blast, he wouldn't last very long in the vacuum of space.

Maybe some of his consciousness uploaded to the Flauros? It would be bittersweet if Yamagi plugged it in to do diagnostics, and somehow the suit kept rewriting its registry as Ryusei-Go. It might be really tacky, but it would also be kinda touching if we get a flash-forward at the end to see that Yamagi went ahead and got the AV system installed to have a new-type style reunion with Shino so that they can have a proper goodbye. This little background relationship got me in the feels - I need closure, damnit! ^_^

Edit: huh, I wrote this half-jokingly but then remembered that Shino had the same aneurysm-eyeball that Mika did when he first let Barbatos directly connect with his CNS back during the Ein fight at the end of season one. He didn't have the burst blood vessels after the Dainsleif impact that broke his arm - it happened while he was hyper-focused on aiming down the sights with the suit's right "eye". The show sold the hell out of that sequence... it might not mean that he's now bonded with Flauros (in my head-canon it totally does,) but at least he hit Mika-level intensity during the last fight. Nice touch.