Kidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans

I have seen Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny and 00 S1 and S2, all twice. I just finished season 1 of Iron Blooded Orphans and I can safely say that if this didn't have the Gundam branding on it, it wouldn't have a season 2, and would likely be rated somewhere on MAL within the 5-6 range. This is a terrible mecha show, and it's quite clear how this was an original anime with no manga, light novel, game or even previous anime to base this off - it never would have been published. To say that the story is, uhhhh, confusing, is putting it mildly. SPOILERS AHEAD Iwon't be using the characters' names unless I can remember them. This is my first review on MAL, and I'm writing this because, well, this show sucks. Star Driver is better, and hoo boy, that show ain't great. This makes Code Geass look like FMAB - that's how low the bar for writing is. Dialogue - I honestly had a hard time telling whether main character's lines were poorly translated or just written strangely, but you find out that he's a mid level functioning autist with almost certainly missing brain tissue/it's not connected in the same way. However, the show doesn't tell you this until episode 20, where main character says to leader guy "Who do we kill? How many do we kill?", when leader guy should've been getting laid by the blonde short haired advisor lady at the time, but was instead sulking. In typical Gundam fashion, whenever there's a flashback or an old man talking or a new character being introduced, you get about 2-5 minutes of clumsy exposition, except unlike in Gundam Seed or 00, you just get told about "corruption" or "influence" or "politics", which I will call "white people bullshit" from here on out. Characters - Forgettable at best, nobody gets laid, apparently the creator hates women so you spend most of the time watching women get beat up/killed in battle, preparing food, fretting over things, hating other women, used as prostitutes, or wearing tank tops. Also you’re going to see kids get beat to the point where blood comes out of their mouths. A lot. Happens to malnourished main character crushing girl (who gets written into literally being in the kitchen) during a pointless filler sideplot, main leader guy, main character guy, every slave kid, etc. I like quiet tomboys, and so when short white haired girl gets killed in episode 25 by bullshit big bad mech literally 1 shot bonking her mech on the head (when everyone else gets at least 4 hits+a stab wound), apparently someone else on the writers room must've revolted because it turns out she only fake died, and she was resting on a pillow later that episode and gets flirted with offscreen during episode 24ish.. I literally do not know the names of any of the Earth related people, and it didn't matter. I didn't realize there was Gjjalarhonk Mars and Gagdererureirhonkhonk Earth until episode 4, because nobody tells you anything about there being a political difference, the uniforms are just different but EVERYONE'S uniforms are different, so clearly the character designers had _no_ idea what people should look like for the first 5 episodes. To everyone else's reviews mentioning character development, I don't know what they're smoking. Examples include, in no particular order: 1) Blonde earth dude that had an arc, and then disappears, comes back looking like the long haired ZAFT guy from Gundam Seed Destiny, and then once he kills some purple dude that turns out to be his half brother (episode 24ish, it's clumsily exposited) because his red eye makeup half sister was killed (that had a crush on him or something - the stair exposition blushing scene around ep 23 is weird). Note - crazy lady with red eye makeup and wing short hair should've died on the island after Biscuit dies, she doesn't because the writers forgot to have the "Save me, [name]" thing make sense (he's not there on the island because they forgot to put him there). 2) Blonde dude has a purple haired bodyguard(?), half brother(?, I forget) that main character straight up nearly chokes to death (and should've) in the Gundam "chance encounter between enemies" bingo card meme that Gundam Seed, Destiny and 00 all have. And then purple guy has a lackey that gets magically revived into a Gundam WH40k dreadnought thing and becomes the series ending big baddie, and main character essentially forces himself to have a LITERAL stroke to beat. 3) Blonde guy from #1 has a purple haired 9 year old fiance, and her age, along with her appearance as a small 9 year old girl, is brought up MULTIPLE times, complete with about 20 minutes total of screentime for her. There is a scene where she _literally_ says to him "the other women want to dance with you, and they have things that I don't" - she's referring to boobs and ass, and the anime literally shows you the bodies of the women that want to dance with him, in tight dresses. Why was this scene in there? I'm gonna guess the creator has some kind of pedophilia grooming fetish. It's like 5 minutes of "content". It's disgusting. 4) Creators/character designers/somebody clearly noted that having a show full of dudes wasn't ideal, so to pad out the female soldiers, there's a dude with a literal harem of women that he's effectively adopted, if he likes them enough or they find him. Note: all of the women on this guy's ship are stereotypical anime pinup girls. No flat chests, no short girls, no fat girls, no glasses. I mention the fat part because Biscuit is _clearly_ fat (his brother even calls him “big”), even though the show beats you over the head (like many of the children get visibly and repeatedly beaten in this show) that these orphans don't have enough to eat. Apparently Biscuit’s magical power was large fat cells. 5) First and second episode feature a hamfisted attempt at exposition to explain that the main characters are slaves owned by a corporation. Around episode 3, there's a rebellion that is caused to make the main characters have agency (which conveniently happens as the events of the show happen, and apparently have never happened before), and they end up killing only like 2 of the 20+ guys that beat the shit out of them for years as they get their freedom because otherwise it'd be 25 episodes of seeing children die in mobile suits and getting beaten when they're not dying. 6) An asshole with a literal Hitler mustache is part of the opening slavery group (that runs away and leaves the kids to die in eps 1+2) that lives after the rebellion and becomes blonde guy's "right hand man". No, I'm not making that up. Main character literally has the 20 or so slave masters in a room, with a loaded gun, only kills two of them. 7) Show has a _nasty_ tendency of making characters do 180 degree changes in their personality. Examples include the blonde with the ridiculous ankle length hair (no, she never cuts it, silly viewer, helmets have a hair compartment), her maid (who I swear was from Gundam 00 as that show's princess' attendant), the blonde advisor lady grows a conscious about children fighting in wars (after 20+ years of seeing and LITERALLY being around them), Biscuit after his brother dies (until the writers realized he was the smartest person, and the main characters are so stupid that they couldn't deal with the island ambush around episode 23 without him), Biscuit's brother finally grows a spine and kills himself after he sees that Gadgerhernia kills people in the street through a smoke screen. When other reviewers are talking about “character development”, they’re either including this or forgetting completely about it. Pink hair in front of his eyes leader guy gets somewhat developed (he feels loss over Biscuit), nobody else “develops”, they just change abruptly. 8) Show has another nasty tendency - there are at least three examples of people with Stockholm Syndrome/Uncle Tom tropes that hurt the main characters - Biscuit's brother, the slave kids that panic during their freeing and shoot their liberators, and some random guy’s brother that was also a part of that gets smashed by a comically large hammer into an asteroid. 9) Considering the design of the slave boys and their abuser, who has probably the best designed suit in the show, with a Blastoise/underwater Gundam Seed mobile armor like design, the abuser blonde guy has piercings and all of the slave boys are malnourished, although there was NOT a scene where the blonde leader guy is raping the boys, but there are no women on board that ship, and the blonde guy’s boss has a literal pig face straight out of Spirited Away’s buffet scene. Art - I dunno who they hired as the art director, but he probably got work at Queen Bee after doing this, because this is probably right up there with Mobile Suit Gundam in terms of animation. When GoGoGargleHurk shoots people through the smoke screen on the colony during the uprising, there look to be at least 70 people in the crowd. After the shooting, maybe 15, and of course, main blonde character survives without a scratch. Show has no CG. It should’ve had at least Gundam 00’s ship animations, and it certainly doesn’t have Unicorn’s fluidity or polish on the BD release. Physics - Unlike Gundam Seed’s explanations of sand particle size and water combat and space, physics goes out the window. Thrusters have the same effect in space as they do in atmosphere, whether it’s Mars’ created air (never explained), or Earths’ normal air. When the people that are _literally_ born in space or on Mars go to Earth, they have no trouble walking on Earth’s higher gravity, and there’s no ill effects like imbalance, muscle distrophy or spinal collapse. Main character literally uses another mech to do the Gundam dangerous reentry meme, except the other mech is fine. Ahab generators make about as much sense as Mobile Suit Gundam’s magnitoskiski particles. Apparently they stop LCD screens from working, along with all radio signals, which is explained why big bad mech rampages through downtown Edmonton. No radiation, though. Somehow. Also the mobile armors and Gundams are unaffected and people can literally stand around and watch them fight with no ill effects. Somehow. The gundam pilots have literally superhuman reaction speeds, but even for the show, and assuming that the show is done in real time, the main character is routinely reacting with maybe like 1-10 frames of delay. When big bad shows up, there’s literally no lag, so main character causes himself to have a seizure and slashes an arm off with a random samurai sword that was left on the island 3 episodes before. No, I’m not kidding. Note that main character was previously using basically a large bat/hammer thing on said island fight from three episodes previously. Where Biscuit dies and main character lets red eye makeup lady get away. When main character is going against the blonde pierced slavedriver guy and his tough mech, he shoots a cannon straight at him, and then says “that armor is tough”. Note: we’ve seen these cannons shoot through ship hulls and cause explosions, this doesn’t even leave a scratch, and apparently the animators and sound designers didn’t animate it to be a glancing shot or even a ricochet. It’s a 300mm smoothbore gun, BTW, according to the wiki. That’s like a battleship cannon, twice the diameter as the standard 155mm field artillery used today. Also blonde pierced slavedriver guy spins around with his comically large hammer and uses his thrusters, and somehow does a perfect ice skating spin, despite that _not_ being how physics works in space. Worldbuilding - Why does Mars matter? Apparently because you can make money from farming. And exploiting labor. And half-metal. What labor? How many people are on Mars? What farming exports are there? You want answers? Like from episode 6 of Gundam Unicorn? Silly viewer, you can’t read, like most of the characters in this show, so you don’t get answers. Or something like that. But biofuel exists. That’s what the corn’s for. The martian corn. Also, apparently the writers had never heard of seaweed, anaerobic digestion, growing mushrooms or natural gas or wood engines. Oh, and half-metal? Who knows what that stuff is. Why don’t they use robots for stuff? Oh, because 300 years after the unexplained and unflashbacked “Calamity War”, robots or surgical implants were evil or something. Oh, and the Gundams work just fine after 300 years. And they have spare parts. A _lot_ of spare parts. And all of the Gundam parts from 300 years ago were interchangeable with each other. Oh, but they have John Deere combines from 2010. And those don’t count as robots, apparently. Don’t look at me, I didn’t write this crap. Surgery with putting in a nodule into the brain stem at the base of the neck and then 1-3 modules into the spine around the shoulder blades? Apparently that can be done by some illiterate people. With no knowledge of surgery, and no antiseptic mentioned.. And a needle, even though the spinal implants are like the size of a Bic lighter, each. And they’re implanted under the skin. Somehow. The show ends with them moving an old man into Edmonton Canada from Anchorage Alaska (kinda wish the Cyclops system fried everyone), so that he can be voted on as prime minister. Apparently voting must be done in person, with all possible leaders in physical attendance in a particular room. To say that the plot point is white people bullshit is putting it mildly. Oh, and there’s a battle of the Volga river kinda thing going on literally 2 miles away, but they don’t cancel the vote. No, they’re in a normal judicial court building, not a bunker, in an active war zone, why do you ask? 3/10, the terrible writing, dialogue and characters reminds me of the later seasons of RWBY.

The Gundam franchise is a massive universe. As another installment, there can be a lot of optimism for Iron-Blooded Orphans. I have to admit, getting into this show at first made me nervous. Some of the recent Gundam related series such as Gundam AGE and Gundam: G no Reconguista received very mixed reception. Furthermore, Iron-Blooded Orphans is spearheaded by Mari Okada, a director who is well-known for adding in melodrama into the story. But for this show, I can safely say that it’s definitely something worth investing time into whether you’re a fan of Gundam or not. For timeline purposes, the show takes place after theCalamity War, a war between Earth and Outer colonies. Actually, make that 300+ years. A major conflict involves Mars and its city Chryse. The people there seek independence from the government and make their own lives into something better. A young Martian woman named Kudelia Aina Bernstein hopes to secure independence. Her role in the story becomes more complicated as she gets involved with a group known as the Tekkadan, whom is entrusted to protect her life. So begins this story that leads politics, warfare, and a world of internal conflicts. As the show’s catch phrase, this is “the sustenance of life is on the battlefield." In context, the show is a war story but also deals with a variety of real life issues. From poverty to child soldiers and imperialism, the show really offers a lot of insightful concepts. There’s even themes of experimentation as certain characters are fit with the Alaya-Vijnana System (Whiskers) to enhance their fighting abilities. Still, the show constructs a story that expands beyond just fighting a war for independence but also takes a look at the interpersonal conflicts of people in its universe. At the heart of it, we have members of the Tekkadan. Led by Orga Itsuka, the show capitalizes on their role to protect Aina. Their ace pilot, Mikazuki Augus (also known as Mika) pilots the mysterious mobile suit known as Barbartos. Throughout the show, we see his piloting and combat skills including his role to fight off Gjallarhorn, an Earth Military organization set up to capture Aina. Tekkadan also consists of other members including Biscuit Griffin (a strategist), Eugene Stark (former leader of the third army’s division), Norba Shino, Akihiro Atland, Atra Mixta, among others. What’s interesting about this group is that although they all come from different backgrounds, they are all united with similar purposes and treats each other like family. The family theme extends to not just the group but also Aina as she gets to know more of its core members. With such a colorful cast of characters, the show really can be appreciated for its characterization. A good part of the story involves the journey Aina and Tekkadan takes in order to reach their goals. Part of it feels like a cat-and-mouse story while other parts are calmer with even has a feel of slice of life. In addition, the show also introduces others factions, some who later become valuable ally of Tekkadan while others are against them. Now I have to admit though, the story itself may feel like it has some pacing problems. A few of the episodes are non-combat related and some lacks development with the overall presentation of the story. However, it also emphasizes on the characters because they really are something special. The director and producers are aiming high for with this TV show so everything constructed has a purpose. The main characters has an iron will with their goals so a few of the episodes examines at their personal lives. Throughout their on-screen roles and background storytelling, we learn more about them especially Mika. He is an orphan with poor social skills but learns throughout the show with help from Aina. There’s a change about his character through his acquaintance with her as he becomes more casual and more interested in his own future. Their relationship even has a taste of romance in it as time goes on and this doesn’t seem like a surprise. Aina’s a kind woman who cares about others’ well-being above her own. She is also a good role model for the children through her ways of teaching them how to write, in particular Mika. This opens up his interest to forging his own future someday. Similarly, Mika’s relationship with Orga is strong. Their friendship has already been established during their childhood and it’s evident that the two would risk their lives to protect each other and their goals. Now I don’t expect everyone to like Aina’s role in the story. Despite her aristocratic status and selfless nature, she is still a bit naïve at times. And furthermore, her insecurity to provide help during crucial moments of fighting can be a bit irritating. Because of the nature of the show, expect other characters to relive moments from the past that resurfaces in the present storyline. A prime example is Akihiro as he deals with a blast from the past. On the other hand, there are also lighthearted relationships such as Mika and Atra. Some may see her involvement with him to almost be part of a love triangle. However, don’t expect this show to be a love story. It’s still an iron-blooded war tale. In retrospect, the show really has an iron blood with its story and characters. When looking at the themes of the show, it’s easy to notice how much it has relations with the past, present, and future. The poverty of the past influences people to try and find a better future for themselves. The present has an emphasis on neo-colonism as we see advanced civilizations expand through funding and technology. For the future, Aina’s ambition to seek independence is a hopeful vision for her people. This is a bit contrast with Gjallarhorn. In essence, they are a military organization who seeks peace but pursuits them with violence means. Some of its core members such as McGillis Fareed, Gaelio Bauduin, Ein Dalton, and among others has their own ideologies. But one thing they seem to all share is strengthening their nation’s own relations and wealth. On the other hand, there’s also Teiwaz, a business conglomerate. Their relationship with Tekkadan also a similarity about family as their representative member forges a pact with Orga. The amount of relationships in this show is really special and something to take by heart. Whether you agree with their goals or ambitions, it’s important to understand why they fight. And this show is pretty damn good at making its point about that. Produced by Sunrise, the show’s visual quality is a unique piece of work. Michinori Chiba is in charge of the character designs but visually looks a bit different compared to some of Gundam’s previous predecessors. I guess it feels like a fusion of Gundam 00 and Gundam AGE as the characters looks both childish and mature the same time. This is especially true with characters like Mika and Biscuit. Orga on the other hand has the look of a mature commander. Aina has more of the look of an aristocrat but can also look like a simple lady when she needs to be. Character visuals aren’t the only thing interesting about the artwork though. The universe of the show has colonies that shows wealth with its rich technology and weapons of war As such, it brings legitimacy to their statuses. From the mysterious Barbados to Teiwaz’s Saisei, everything looks crisp and establishes the studio’s effort to craft them as technological innovations. This is further enhanced by the solid action with a great amount of effort during fight scenes. Be amazed. This is a show that can be will leave strong memories even with its action. At first, I wasn’t much of a fan of the music or soundtrack. But after watching a good amount of the show, it’s definitely something to take in by heart. Masaru Yokoyama clearly invested a good amount of effort into producing the music for various scenarios in the show. From melancholic moments to intense combat oriented moments waged in space, it has everything that a mecha fan can wish for. The OP song “Raise Your Flag” is also a way that symbolizes the fight for independence especially with its catchy tone and choreography. And finally, voice mannerism is impressive. Characters such as Orga shows their commanding presence while Mika is known for his cold personality. Iron-Blooded Orphans is definitely a show to invest time in. Whether you’re a veteran or a causal viewer, the experience after watching this show will be memorable for its story, characters, themes, world-building, and powerful action. Characters’ actions all have purpose and the show offers a balanced way to showcase their motivations. I don’t expect everyone to like all the characters as some may find them less likeable than others. Still, this show is not to be underestimated and is a triumphant one at that. Watch it with an open mind and you’ll see why.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans is an original series not based on any other work like manga, novel or a game. It's quite a rare to see original anime these days and most of them are poorly made. But this one may surprise you. An easy-to-follow story with flow and focus, exciting space combats, strong both male and female characters, some well-placed plot twists and a little bit of romance and comedy just to spice things up. But above all this story present the human side of characters while not neglecting the plot. We can see strong friendships, trust, how they all deal with tragicdeaths of their families, friends and comrades, how they try to find their place in this messed up world and not losing hope. Not very original but interesting to watch. Animation is also very smooth and nice. Downside is that the story was rushed. Especially in the last few episodes. There was that “last battle” where they all went on a shooting rampage and all was over just in one episode. I felt like the main message was lost. Not to mention some of the so called good guys turned bad all off a sudden, like McGillis. Also one of the main characters Orga went downhill from a strong confident leader to someone who doesn’t think rationally and makes rush decisions. The political background of the story was a little bit confusing too and hard to follow. And some of the dialogues were just meaningless and boring. To sum up, this anime has big potential and the story is not about typical battle of good vs. evil. More like a fight to make things better. If you ignore some minor flaws in concept of characters, parts of the plot which are not clearly explained and rushed ending it’s really fun to watch. So give it a try.

[This is my 7th edit because all I say is still not enough to keep praising this series] As a big-time Gundam fan and Gunpla builder, I gotta say that Iron-Blooded Orphans (IBO) is my all-time favorite Gundam, and my all-time favorite anime (I've watched it 3 times already). Please, do yourself a favor, and even if you never watched Gundam or are not a fan of the mecha genre, watch IBO, you must, just must. I`ll tell you why! Story: Let me start by saying this is the most adult Gundam of all series. This show is meant to make you think about war,poverty, despair, violence, and human rights. This is a show to make you see how disgraced people found a way to survive. IBO, by far, is the most emotional Gundam in the franchise. It is surreal how the writers could be so good in this series. The story of the first season is slow-building. You can`t expect the mecha action to start right away. For a while, you will get more of the character's stories, motivations, dramas, interests, and backstories. And that's why IBO is the greatest of all Gundam series. The motivation is deep and emotional, full of meaning and sensible moments, but without the shonen drama! The characters have real-life motivation, trying to find their place in the world and when the action starts, you will be way more driven to see the outcome, you will learn to care for these characters in ways no other Gundam made me do. They are full of personalities, and their motivation is real-world-like. The plot is interesting, with a different background than the regular Gundam anime. The plot is set with a different motivation, diverging from the classic Earth vs Space backstory that all Gundam try to achieve. In general is more about companies, war merchants, corrupt institutions, and economic motivations than anything else. Even the story of the mechas is more in-depth than any other because the reason the Gundams were created is awesome. It's just a masterpiece of a story. The only people that the story won't reach are those who are on this only for the action. Nevertheless, for those, I say: Don`t worry, when the action starts, you will get VERY satisfied since Mika and Barbatos are the most badass fighters in Gundam history (yes, way more badass than Setsuna from 00). And the second season is pure action. Finally, I must say that IBO is the most adult Gundam ever, with hard scenes and adult themes, which makes it even more enjoyable and puts some distance from all other Gundam series. Art and Sound: Outstanding. I`ll only highlight the OST, which has the most awesome battle music from the franchise: Crescent Moon. Additionally, all three opening songs are amazing. I actually never devote myself to talking about music, but IBO also stands out in this aspect. I have watched this show 3 times already, and the second time, I notice that the opening songs align with the events of their seasons. Although you might think that's obvious, it is not straightforward as it seems. Even if you listen to them, you will only UNDERSTAND them after advancing in the story. And, well, this is beyond awesome. Characters: As I mentioned above, character design and development is the major strong point of IBO. ALL OF THEM GET DEVELOPED. You won`t see the same thing that happens in other Gundam (I am looking at you 00), in which some characters never get the spotlight. They all do, they all have feelings, motivations, and opinions of their one. You will see their past, and their struggle (WHICH IS REAL) and you will get emotionally attached to them. They say deep stuff, do incredible feats, and have more complex philosophies. The writers and directors were superb in this Gundam, which I found amazing. They had the ability to make a show with dozens of characters to follow but were able to develop all of them. Orga is the best character of the Gundam franchise for me, and Mika, although having not much within him, is the best Gundam pilot in the history of Gundam. He is straight out savage and is not one single moment you will see him doubting his actions. No shonen dumb doubts about the war and "which is the right thing" with Mika. Mika sees the enemy of his friends and family, and he goes for the throat. All secondary characters like Biscuit, Akihiro, Dante, Eugene, Ride, etc are developed well. I must also highlight something: I could not find a true antagonist here. IBO plays in the grey area, such as in the real world, so all of them are right and wrong at some point, even the protagonists. And, be shocked people, the girl-politician (that almost all Gundam have at some point) has a great development. She is indeed relevant to the plot and to the events surrounding her, and her development is the best one for a politically-centered character in the franchise. Even the antagonists have some serious philosophies and real backgrounds that put distance between all other antagonists in the Gundam verse. I`ll never find all the right words to describe how amazingly written the characters in IBO were. The characters will almost feel like family at the end of the show. Finally, let me add that the relationship between the two major protagonists (Orga and Mika) is something that no other Gundam ever did. Actually, is something that I haven't seen in another anime, not like that. Mechas: Barbatos, the main Gundam, became my favorite Gundam in terms of design. Calm down now, let me explain. I build Gunplas, so far I`ve built a lot of them. Although Barbatos follows some of the same formulae, he is the only feral-looking Gundam. He actually looks like a savage Gundam, which is consistent with Mika's fighting style. Never before, and never again, some Gundam looked like Barbatos. The Graize models (your standard NPC-Mobile Suits) have also good designs, very distant from the Zaku/Tieren types. You will see some other MS, with not much to discuss, but Gusion Rebake is one nice Gundam as well, but it has some mechanics stolen from Seravee (Gundam 00). The amazing part of the mechas is also their backstory. On a final note, I would like to mention that the Gundam in IBO is, as well as their characters, the most "real-mecha" of the entire franchise. They break more often, they don`t use light-sabers, they use real weapons, like giant swords and axes. Hence, the fighting scenes are way more brutal. Trivia: after watching the first season, look at Goetic mythology. Overall: Best Gundam in the series for me, with AMAZING, AWESOME, COLOSSAL character development. You will be cheering for Tekkadan the whole series and caring for their members in a way no other Gundam did. This is my favorite anime of all time because it was able to make me more emotional than any other anime, movie, book, or manga in my life (and, damn, I am the type of guy that never cries). Even if you are not a mecha fan, IBO is still for you. At the end of this show, Tekakdan will feel like family.

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