Thread by @ghostlightning

I'm rewatching Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, a show that I considered one of the best in the franchise. Will it hold up?

Ep 01 was well done, definitely a different feel.

I do realize one thing though. Gundam IBO straight up OWES Broken Blade OVA (2010). I'll explain.

I've written about this OVA back in the day: ghostlightning.wordpress.com/tag/break-blad…

What you'll find here that's the most striking is how the Broken Blade mecha is basically the template for Gundam Barbatos: it's a melee-only mecha that's upgraded with different melee weapons from time to time

While I hold the Broken Blade OVA to be more inventive and have better fights altogether, I don't think it takes THAT much away from what Gundam IBO was able to do. It doesn't have to work with BB's magic, muggles, and mecha setting. It's a try-hard grimdark Gundam show.

Another thing, even when it tries, I don't think IBO succeeds at being funny. Not that Gundam is known for its comedic chops.

G s the only show you really laugh /with/

Turn A you laugh maniacally at /everything (life, anime, the UNIVAAAAARS) #turnAturn

You laugh /at/ Gundam

Kudelia is also very interesting, basically being a White SJW liberal bearing so much guilt over her privilege while being blind to so much of it.

VERY INTERESTING, now that I've thought of it.

If Kudelia was a strong reference to Releena Peacecraft, McGillis Fareed &Gaelio Bauduin is Char Aznable and Garma Zabi.

Mikazuki Augus I should've mentioned, is a great take on the Heero Yuy and Setsuna F. Seiei types. He's clearly a broken and incomplete person in plain sight.

Episode 03: it's easy to sympathize -- to side with the kids. Gundam has always been emotionally manipulative to get kid viewers to go against adults. But these kids are so wrong too!

How interesting is this!? You really are confronted at how none of this can end well, so soon.

Episode 04. I forgot how cartoonish the bad guys are here. I'm excluding Gaelio and McGillis as they're like protagonists.

This probably makes for satisfying murders later on.

But I remember how it all ends, and wow, nothing here indicates such an outcome.

Also, it may be that the Alaya-Bajeena system in IBO the best or most sensible version of the Cyber (or artificial) Newtype concept.

It makes no pretense of itself being anything other than a combat pilot enhancement.

Ep 05: The buried ancient tech conceit from Turn A Gundam is also here, and used intriguingly.

Also, I'm rediscovering Eugene as a supporting character. So cool.

The first space battle is really little more than a skirmish, but with great tension and real stakes.
Casualties are so low, and damage to mobile suits exist in such a rational way. This is truly so refreshing. In W and SEED I remember MS being vaporized in one shot this early on

Even the maneuvers with the capital ships (or their equivalents) are interesting. Nothing in AGE reminds me of this. I remember the Ptolemaios doing a lot of interesting things, but it was definitely an overpowered special ship as befits Celestial Being.

Ep 06: character beats:

Kudelia is aware of geoplolitics.
Fumitan Admoss... who the hell is she?
Akihiro... badass but a grinder as opposed to
Mikazuki... a fighting savant, but a narrow specialist; ignorant about other things but conscious of it; purposely plays w/in himself.

More character beats:

Takaki is strict with the other kids
Biscuit a competent worrier
Ein Dalton really getting consumed by honorable vengeance
Olga shows his warped co-dependency with Mikazuki (THIS IS SO INTERESTING) "the die has been cast (...) see things to the bitter end"

Ep 07: OK. Teiwaz. Naze Turbine.

This is one of the most problematic content in the show. A harem of rescued prostitutes.

Naze Turbine, with his white suit is the extreme expression of Char Aznable vis-a-vis Lalah Sune, who was rescued from a brothel.

IBO is hardcore Gundam.

That battle between the Turbines and Tekkadan was fucking brilliant. If you don't like this you don't like mecha anime.

Tactics
Daring
Struggle
Imperfect tech
Maintenance issues due to recent fighting
Capital ship maneuvers
Combined arms fighting

This is close to peak Gundam.

Ep 07: the seduction of the viewer continues with Mika and Orga being so damn earnest about doing their best. Why? It's because as Orphans, Tekkadan is their family. Family values are fairly universal. I'm pretty sure it gets to me too.

Contrast with the Turbine harem, which is

Hard to wrap my head around. Why this? Why now? It'd be one thing if it weren't so damn earnest too. Naze is such a great mentor figure, like a real older brother to Orga. Clearly he's fully dedicated to his family as well. Who doesn't have agency here?

But yeah, family is theme

I meant episode 8.

Ep 09: Mikazuki is cold, but in an impartial way, like Tieria, Setsuna/Heero were supposed to be without the aggressive obnoxiousness.

Orga is the sappy, vulnerable one; the heart of Tekkadan even as he fails at inebriation.

Kudelia is also super earnest. Naive but of course.

Ride is a kid that earnestly tries to be the responsible older brother. Swear to God these kids are too much. Orga pukes on him in my place.

Some kid popped his cherry on a prostitute. This is I feel, a great touch in the narrative. Instead of objectifying the cast members, this

McMurder is a ridiculous name belonging to the pantheon of Gundam names.

The brotherhood ceremony that registers Orga and Tekkadan into the Teiwaz Crime family is poignant as well.

Ep 10: Did the messages from Earth to the Yamato crew also happen in episode 10? I wouldn't be surprised if it did. Gundam is all about callbacks to tradition too. Takaki and Biscuit want to put through school the sisters they left on Mars.

Mars! This is an interesting colony.

Mars is interesting as a Colony because it isn't (in this case) resource rich, where in the original Gundam it is Earth who isn't resource rich and is reliant on the colonies. And yet, this Mars is probably exploited for other resources without representation, hence Kudelia.

Harem as solution to love triangles shouldn't work, but Atra and Kudelia seem to be as dedicated to each other as they are to Mikazuki. This isn't as interesting as it would be if there are other males involved. Would males be as "evolved" as the narrative tries to pitch Atra as.

I would've made quite a meal of this show had I been blogging it episodically. There's more than enough to talk about in-depth. Alas! I no longer could, nor can. So livetweeting it into the void is what I can do.

Ep 11: Cyber-NT battle (Alaya-Bajeena); the opposition armor is extra tough, making the fight even more troublesome to resolve either way. It actually goes down to fuel reserves -- the opponents retreat due to insufficient fuel as opposed to a tactical or material loss.

The tragic encounter between Akihiro and Masahiro, and the death flag of Takaki are all intentional and heavy-handed, but otherwise consistent with the pushing of the family as theme. Orga is shown up for failing to employ a medical team while running a military operation. Good.

Brooke Kabayan... Kabayan is a Filipino noun, meaning "countryman." He's the pirate leader of the Brewers. Anyway back to the Cyber-NTs, these kids subjected to it are referred to as "Human Debris" -- acceptable fodder for experimentation towards disposable military assets.

Meanwhile, Dalton Ein suffers much indignity, but he is shown as a tragic figure in that he has the integrity and fortitude to bear such, so as to collect a debt vengeance from Tekkadan. And then we get the full Char treatment for McGillis, as he is engaged to a near-literal loli

Ep 12: The Shoals... similar to how Solomon is used in 0083, it is a site of a major battle which will be the location of this episode's set piece. The latest load-out of the Barbatos involved a giant Katana, but was proven ineffectual (when does that EVER happen? Kudos really).

What Gundam upgrade gimmick will the narrative rely on?

Meanwhile the Human Debris' diet is basically energy bars. They're naively discussing death among themselves. Reincarnation doesn't work on HD, they seem to believe. Cartoon bad guy bullies/abuses them some more.

There seems to be no Gundam gimmick, instead, the day will be won via tactics: 2 Teiwaz ships body Brooke Kabayan's ship. The pirates are boarded. Gundam actually reverts to the original loadout, will he face the Gusion 1 vs 1? Or is this Akihiro's fight?

Meanwhile Mikazuki scores the quickest kill: Vito dies in his cockpit. Pirates fight to the death vs Tekkadan. Masahiro saves Akihiro from the Guison's hammer, but eats the whole thing and dies. He was beyond saving.

Ep 013: lots of child soldiers on both sides die to begin the episode. None of this is supposed to feel right, and it doesn't.

Mikazuki brings the katana for the Barbatos after all, and the prolonged fight actually enables him to get enough reps to git gud using it, and win.

It's a pilot kill using purely kinetic force by stabbing into the creases of the MS like the crude tool it is. This isn't a show for clean cuts as beam sabers do as early as 0079. The good thing also, is that the suits don't get fully trashed. They're recoverable.

Meanwhile, Macky Fareed is a total douche, playing needlessly on the insecurities of his loli fiance. Still, better this than the self assured lolicon fodder of Code Geass (the Chinese empress, for example; Kaguya as well).

Also, Tekkadan welcomes all human debris captured.

The real set piece is a mass character beat, a culture beat: The Funeral. Yamagi and the mechanic (one of the few truly good adults) make space flower fireworks, that serve as a metaphor for their brief lives.

Refusal to cry because crying is lame, is toxic masculinity, this is

or should be a problem, but the narrative betrays them because they all cry anyway. THIS. I LOVE THIS.

They try to act so cool, because, OF COURSE THEY DO. They're a bunch of dumb teens.

Mika wonders if he's beginning to enjoy killing people. He gets a hug from Kudelia. Kiss.

This by all means is an uncalled for act, inspired by Naze and Amida flaunting their sexuality in front of the kids (sans Kudelia). Mikazuki doesn't know about boundaries so he's excused?

Problematic.

It's played for cuteness. I don't think it works.

But the hug wasn't called

for either, was it. It's all the same for the unsocialized Mika.

But these are convenient outs that the narrative exploits to make something inappropriate cute.

It doesn't work. It shouldn't. But does it?

Kudelia has rank, power, education, maturity, etc. over Mika. IF there

is inequality, the balance tips in favor of Kudelia.

Mika only has masculinity, and in Gundam it's a trump card. Also, Mika has the purest kind: emotionless, lethal but not malicious; dangerous, but a trustworthy protector. He's a Gundam Alpha Male.

So no, it doesn't work.

Ep 14: Colony side. The children's hygiene situation is acknowledged. This is a great touch. Norba with his stud earring is kind of cool.

The colonists are inspired by the Kudelia and the rebel children narrative.

This can't end well. True enough, there's family betrayal coming

Ep 15: This is dumb. How could anyone mistake Atra for Kudelia Aina Bernstein? Kudelia would have photos now, unless there's no internet in Gundam.

Ep 16: Fumitan is wise to restrain Kudelia from her naive/misguided will to share candy with the poor. She's really taken to her though, in a Grace O'Connor-Sheryl Nome kind of way.

This whole workers' Rebellion cum Kudelia assassination plot just doesn't work. It's basic AU Gundam plotting and execution. I feel like I'm watching 00 or AGE, or even Wing. It's not mindfuckingly awful like that SEED assassination plot near the end, just AU level mediocre.

It's been a whole week since I last watched Iron Blooded Orphans for this marathon rewatch. I underestimated how difficult doing this anime hobby thing when holding down a job and supporting a family lol. How was I able to do it a decade ago?

Ep 17: Gjallarhorn is cold. Union Workers are massacred. There's no leader with vision, experience, or even just perspective. They got owned so hard. It's such a tight operation by Gjallarhorn.

Kudelia gets her resolve. The episodes leading to this moment are so crude, but this

is good. I wish they did a better job up until the assassination attempt, but it's working now which I appreciate. I also how appreciate how Olga is a noob here too and needs Biscuit to see the opportunities. In any case, Kudelia is leading now, instead of being cargo.

Gaelio brings out the Gundam Kimaris! Wow I'm genuinely excited. This is a great fight, with Ein trying to kill the passenger craft and then Tekkadan ship shows up.

Gundam duel continues, it's a bad match for the Barbatos, thus requiring backup. Gaelio is forced to retreat. 👌👌

Episode 18:

Kudelia wow.

This is Diana Soleil levels of awesome.

McGillis Fareed is found out and reveals his aims to Olga, Biscuit and Mika.

He's the Char Aznable we were supposed to get when we were fucked over by ZZ Gundam.

For this alone, I am indebted to Iron Blooded Orphans forever.

Now that we clarified the version of Char we've gotten, and an inferior kind of failure, just so...

We now get our inferior copy of Haman Karn, just so.

Kudelia then, after her awesomeness, finds her refuge and respite in the arms of her triangle harem.

When the show gives you pizza, it puts sushi on it.

Ep 19: Kudelia promises to make everyone happy.

Leaders must make impossible promises, because reasonable promises inspire too few people to action.

More people follow a Kamina or Simon than a Rossiu.

Rossiu was made for a real robot universe cursed to be in a super robot show

Carta Issue is the Haman Karn of the 2nd half of ZZ Gundam, part of that show's many unforgivable betrayals. Carta is obsessed cartoonishly with her Char clone and is surrounded by Myashimar clones.

This I suppose, is kind of fanservice too: a Garma-Haman-Char triangle.

NOW'S THE TIME TO ACT COOL

Eugene, you make this show amazing. Great use of that Alana Bajeena Cyber NT crap.

AM I COOL?

Yes Eugene, you're very cool.

The tactical countermeasures vs. Gundam Kimaris weren't an overall power increase for the Barbatos. Good.

Ein saves the Kimaris and Gaelio, maiming himself, and furthering his tragic arc.

McGillis in a red MS assists in atmospheric entry. The kids have entered Earth's gravity.

Ep 20: I particularly like how the Martians react to the gift of the fish. Steamed flounder or sole is amazing, and the children can't deal with it.

Makanai of Oceania offers safe harbor, where they find out about favorable resolution for the Union in Dorts. Makanai needs power.

Olga sees Tekkadan needing to get bigger. Biscuit wants to go home. His older brother gambled and lost, and Biscuit feels he's now making the same mistake. He says he quits.

Kudelia claims Tekkadan's job is done, which makes Olga's choice interesting.

Ep 21: It must be said that the pace of Iron Blooded Orphans is something else. There's time to breathe between fights, and that time is earnestly spent to flesh out characters and move the story forward. There are character tiers: the top being
Orga, Mikazuki, Biscuit, Kudelia

Then you have McGillis,

Then supports from both sides,

Gaelio, Ein, Naze Turbine

Then the high tier background characters:

Turbine pilots, the mechanic, Atra, Eugene, Shino, Akatsuki

Then the enemies like Carta Issue, etc.; faction leaders like Makanai

Then the other kids.

It makes no sense how Mobile Suits are impervious to conventional, battleship mounted artillery.

There's no sense how Mobile Suit mounted guns are superior to larger, battleship mounted cannons.

They're both governed by the same physics, the same gunpowder, the same kinetics.

How is a swing from an arm mounted hunk of steel superior to a slug fired from a cannon?

These are things Gundam, or at least this show can't account for.

Ep 22: I can't seem to find the name of the politician, the older lady with long and pink hair (would-be Prime Minister of Abrau). I can't help but think of this as a send up; a corrupt version of Lacus Clyne. Pink haired leads are common heroic mains.

NTS: I'm here for this lol

Look at this photo:

The map.

Australia 🇦🇺

Sydney

COLONY DROP crater

¿¿¿¿¿WHAAAAAA?????

It's at this point where it gets really interesting for me.

Orga is obviously torn to shreds by Biscuit's death.

Mikazuki does something in place of a pep talk, but all wrong. It holds Orga into account, by Mika threatening(!) or offering to kill how many it takes for home, w/e

That means for them. This galvanizes Orga to bloodlust. It's nowhere near anything healthy. It's dark and wrong, and it, to me, obviously propels them to their death.

It's doom. This show's leads are dark and empty and rushing to die.

But hoping(?) they'll do right by their fam

It's definitely a striking difference compared to the Kamina/Simon dynamic, or the icky weirdness between rivals like Amuro and Char.

This is deranged. It's as if they don't know what they're doing, which is actually a great point. They're messed up kids, messing up dangerously.

Ep 23: This scene between McGillis and Carta is so good. He's genuinely acknowledging her to malicious purpose. This is so evil. It's because she's hopelessly in love with him and he knows it. This is peak/trough Char in CCA and Carta is Quess in Haman form.

The dual trains setup kind of reminds me of that Tomino non-classic Overman King Gainer.

The kids pretend at self-determination. But what if they are, eh? I mean what if they are self-determined, if ignorant.

Is Ein any different? He chose to become a sentient mobile suit, a

Fate better than death in his eyes, because this way he can continue to fight. This is straight out of Warhammer 40k. Talk about a single issue voter.

All of them are basically Iron Blooded Orphan soldiers at this point.

Oh well, time for some dying now.

Mikazuki doesn't fuck around. The little boys are mesmerized. Merribit is sca dalized that they are. Kudelia is too, but Orga makes her look: This is what it means for them to fight. This is what it means to exact vengeance for Biscuit. Disproportionate violence and malice.

https://twitter.com/ghostlightning/status/1021307223874592769?s=19

Gaelio rescues Carta and she thinks it's McGillis, whose figurative arms she thinks he's dying in. It's heartbreaking.

This is really good stuff.

Gundam man.

Cold.

Ep 24: a battle of attrition has taken hold, where Tekkadan's opponents have done well to avoid melee. Lots of physical constraints to deal with. Many of the older teens are wounded, the little boys are taking to fight.

Mika eggs Orga more, propelling them both to their future.

The youngest kids will act as decoys in this current, desperate action. Lives lost are, offerings to the survivors. Orga speak... the boys buy into it. Family means betting your lives on it. Merribit can't deal with it. She's right you know. The mechanic knows. Adults know.

This show is so good. It knows the kids are wrong. But sure, do all the wrong things. Some will be rewarded, even. For this battle, it probably will.

They unexpectedly rush the opposing position, but Gaelio is there with his Gundam. Now it's a fight.

More kids get killed. It seems that the decoy action is failing, but Eugene arrives with flanking attack and reinforcements. The enemy is falling back, but Ein arrives all powered as a giant suit. But the siege is broken. VIPs are breaking through.

BARBATOS PUNCH! Mika needs to

Take on Ein but Gaelio isn't easy to get past. Parliament is about to start, but Ein violates the protocols and brings his MS into the city.

Kudelia faces him directly!

SO BADASS.

BARBATOS JUST IN TIME.

MCGILLIS TAKES ON GAELIO!

MADNESS.

This show man. So good. 👏 👏 👏

Ep 25: SO HYPE.

Ein should have every advantage over Mika but he's getting deranged.

Shino is alive!

Gaelio is realizing who he's fighting.

BLAME THIS ON THE MISFORTUNE OF YOUR BIRTH time

Makanai makes it on time!

Ms. Henri (old Lacus) is maaaad

Orga has to go to Mikazuki.

Gaelio gets Garma'd. YOU WERE MY ONLY FRIEND.

Barbatos is almost done.

Ein starts promising to murder all of Tekkadan.

Mika finds another gear, he's still in the fight.

Makanai gives Kudelia the floor.

WHOEVER DIES HERE I'LL KILL FOR DISOBEDIENCE

Orga gets great lines.

Kudelia campaigns for Makanai.

Orga buffs Mika. IT WORKS.

Ein loses 2 arms.

SHUT UP. I CAN'T HEAR ORGA'S VOICE.

Damn this show 2x down on its wrongness. So good.

Is this the place where we belong Orga?

It's one of them

Pretty.

(the pink hair is a wig. Old Lacus is a lie)

McGillis claims his victory, and receives a curse in turn.

Nobliss and McMurdo congratulate each other.

McGillis comforts Amelia for her brother's death. Cold.

Orga and Naze are so awesome for each other unlike Orga and Mika.

Kudelia stays on 🌎, Mika gets harem comforts. Fin

I'll continue commenting on the next 25 episodes here on this thread.

The first half of Iron Blooded Orphans was a blast, as good and uneven as any TV Gundam show, perhaps better.

In the 2nd viewing I get to appreciate McGillis more. He does a hardcore Char in the douche dept.

The Gaelio and Carta thing works, and with such economy of storytelling too. Why wouldn't it, with Garma and Haman betrayals as inspirations. Too bad about Haman getting the ZZ version though. We won't get a strong female villain in Gundam anymore. No, Katerina is not quite it.

I meant Katejina, as in V Gundam's Katejina Loos.

The child soldiers are still children, and Orga with Mika should be seeking asylum and help not trying to be a private army. But they're sick and make each other so, as is one of the tragic things in this show.

Kudelia is a great lead, in the class of Diana Soleil and Kihel Heim

The mobile suit battles are also very good, not to the standard of Broken Blade which inspired them, but a good contrast with Gundam Build Fighters which honestly raised the bar too high for TV Gundam.

I'm a fan of the mechanical designs overall, but they don't bother me.

I meant to say that I'm NOT a fan of the mechanical designs overall. But I'd take these Gundam 00 retreads over anything from AGE, SEED, or W.