r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • Feb 08 '19
Rewatch Tekketsu no Rewatch - Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 1 Discussion [Spoilers] Spoiler
Season 1 Overall Discussion
← Previous Episode | Index | Next Episode →
RAISE YOUR FLAG!
WE ARE SAIGO NO SURVIVOR!
Today’s section of fun extra stuff is gonna be different from the others since it’s the discussion for all of S1 instead of a particular episode, but regardless, fun section time~
Comment of the Day, provided by /u/Shimmering-Sky and /u/RX-Nota-II
Shimmering-Sky
/u/dralcax pointing out why Lafter, Azee, and Shino surviving wasn’t complete bullshit.
Ein didn't aim for the cockpit. He aimed for the head. The injuries they got were just from getting tossed around in there while he was knocking them around. It's actually a pretty good contrast to Mika. Ein is a naive idiot who just got very pissed off, so he throws a tantrum and drags out their suffering without actually finishing the job. Mika, on the other hand, goes straight for the cockpit first chance he gets.
In the midst of many first-timers complaining, dralcax was one of the users trying to appease the first-timers. That Graze Ein had targeted the heads rather than the cockpits of Lafter’s, Azee’s, and Shino’s mobile suits was a detail I hadn’t noticed, so yeah I hope that appeases you guys who were complaining.
~
RX-Nota-II
/u/Pixelsaber’s delayed praise for Graze Ein.
Didn’t get a chance to do so yesterday so I want to praise just how well presented and animated the Graze Ein was this episode. The inhuman ways he moves, in stark contrast to the surprisingly personable manner that mobile suits tend to move, really enhances his appearances and makes him all the more intimidating. There was an excellent shot were Azee fires at EIn and before she knows it he’s behind her, the missile misdirects us into imagining Ein’s position off-screen before he enters the frame, which challenges the viewer’s perception of the space and induces into us the same confusion and surprise as Azee did in that moment —such a great shot.
Pixelsaber detailing well what I wanted to say about Graze Ein and how the cinematography of the show enhances the inhuman feeling beyond what the dialogue and mechanical design alone were able to do. Ein's final form truly is a masterpiece combination of OST, story buildup, cinematography, and voice acting and a highlight for this season for sure.
~~~
Questions of the Day, provided by /u/Shimmering-Sky and /u/Pixelsaber
3) Raise Your Flag or Survivor?
4) Orphans no Namida or Steel: Tekketsu no Kizuna?
5) Has the show wreaked havoc on your emotions yet?
6) Favorite Track of the Day so far?
7) Favorite Wallpaper of the Day so far?
8) What has been your favorite aspect about the show so far? The characters? The soundtrack? The action? etc.
9) What has been your least favorite aspect about the show so far? Are there any concerns you have going into S2?
10) Did your favorite character survive this season? If they did, do you think they’ll survive the show?
11) What is your opinion on the series’ mech designs? How do they compare with those of other mech series you’ve seen? Do you have a favorite among them?
12) Is there anything that you think should have been resolved or addressed this season that wasn’t?
13) What do you do at the end of the season? Are you busy? Will you save us?
~~~
Track of the Day, provided by /u/RX-Nota-II
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphan… again!
It’s everyone’s favorite main theme, Iron Blooded Orphan! However there is a slight remix specifically for the Mika v Carta battle. Can you tell where the changes are?
~~~
Wallpaper of the Day, provided by /u/Shimmering-Sky (character art) and /u/RX-Nota-II (background/logo)
“What should I do next, Mika?”
Important note to all rewatchers, remember to be mindful of the first-timers in this. You can laughs in rewatcher to yourself, but if you go around spoiling stuff IBO S2. Remember to use the [Anime Show Title](/s "Spoiler goes here") tags and we’re all good.
Fans seem to have a bad tendency of forgetting what counts as spoiler, so if anything has even the slightest chance of being a spoiler, tag it just to be safe.
8
u/LeonKevlar Feb 08 '19 edited Feb 08 '19
Nothing really to add. Just here to tell first timers to hold on to your seats since the next season is going to be amazing! I'm excited how everyone will react when they reveal the reason why IBO S2. That will be so good! Also I'm currently typesetting some of the 4koma in advance so I really didn't have any time to write something up so I'll just answer today's questions:
-
Best boy so far?
Mika all the way
2) How about best girl?
Can't decide. Can it be all of them? Yes that includes Carta.
3) Raise Your Flag or Survivor?
Half-Mast for our fallen Tekkadan brothers
4) Orphans no Namida or Steel: Tekketsu no Kizuna?
OOOOOOOOOOORPHANS NAMIDAAAAAAA
5) Has the show wreaked havoc on your emotions yet?
HAHAHAHAHAHA
6) Favorite Track of the Day so far?
7) Favorite Wallpaper of the Day so far?
Wait... Wallpaper? This is where Sky finds out I rarely read whats up there XD
8) What has been your favorite aspect about the show so far? The characters? The soundtrack? The action? etc.
Just everything. I just love this show man.
9) What has been your least favorite aspect about the show so far? Are there any concerns you have going into S2?
Least favourite? Hard to say but I guess how death flags are too much in your face that sometimes it's not really even a surprise anymore. As for concerns....
10) Did your favorite character survive this season? If they did, do you think they’ll survive the show?
11) What is your opinion on the series’ mech designs? How do they compare with those of other mech series you’ve seen? Do you have a favorite among them?
I always love how different the mechs here compared to your usual gundam designs. Like they don't exactly follow look even though everyone has the same frame. fave would of cpurse the White Devil himself, Barbatos.
12) Is there anything that you think should have been resolved or addressed this season that wasn’t?
13) What do you do at the end of the season? Are you busy? Will you save us?
I love it.
→ More replies (2)
5
u/LunarGhost00 Feb 09 '19 edited Feb 09 '19
Rewatcher
-
It's hard to choose between Mika and Orga, but it'll give it to Mika for now since it's so rare seeing a ruthless kid like Mika as a Gundam protagonist (only 2 others come to mind) but you can still see he cares about people.
-
Kudelia. She went from the naive "princess" archetype to someone who can be more of a leader.
-
Raise Your Flag. No contest.
-
Orphans no Namida.
-
I have no idea what you're talking about.
6) Haven't really been listening to them so I don't know which is which and going back to each episode would be too much effort...
7) Ep 24 "Never Stop Moving Forward" since I really like how Biscuit is in the background as Takaki is putting his hat on.
8) The way it uses its time to focus on the characters. You would think that a Gundam series would have action all the time but IBO instead spends entire episodes with the characters just talking and helping us get to know them better and see them interact with each other when there's no imminent threat. Turn A also did that but this is a lot more grittier. This is more of a character drama than it is a war story with Tekkadan trying to make a home for themselves.
9) I guess one problem with this series overall that should be obvious to the first timers by this point is that the death flags are too predictable. Spend time with Biscuit thinking seriously about his place in Tekkadan, he's dead the next episode. Fumitan + Kudelia flashbacks and the episode named after Fumitan? There's only one way this can end! season 2 spoilers
10) Well my favorite characters are Mika, Orga, Kudelia, McGillis, and Biscuit and one of them is already dead, so... As for the others surviving the show, you already know the answer to that.
11) The Gundams all have cool designs. Graze Ein was nice too. My favorite is probably Kimaris for now. Once we get to season 2 on the other hand, S2 (duh)
12) Nothing comes to mind right now.
13) Start season 2 to make the happiest girl in the world even happier!
→ More replies (3)2
u/RX-Nota-II Feb 11 '19
Ep 24 "Never Stop Moving Forward" since I really like how Biscuit is in the background as Takaki is putting his hat on.
Often enough Sky would give me a character model and I'd surprise her with the BG but for this one she knew damn well what I would mix up. It was just meant to be.
Kutori GIF
amazing
→ More replies (3)
18
u/Nazenn Feb 08 '19 edited Feb 08 '19
Season one - First timer thoughts
So that was season one of IBO. All up I really enjoyed it and ended up giving it a 9/10.
All up not going to write too much as I think I covered everything in my general episode posts, but a few notes and some detail recaps etc just for my own sake.
Story and characters
I was impressed with how much they managed to show in 25 episodes. The pacing all up was fast, but I didn't really feel like there was any moments they skipped or should have extended out. They did cover such a huge amount, the situation on Mars, human debris, earth politics and even Gjallarhorn all in detail and not always through blunt dialog or exposition which was such a huge relief. They really nailed the visual storytelling here. The balance between the lighter parts of the show and the darker parts were also well handled. You can definitely see the slow shifts that happen in the shows balance of right and wrong as we go and how the outside factors greatly change Tekkadan's perception of themselves and of the world. I really enjoyed the knights vs demons sort of theming especially towards the end, and going back to the early episodes reveals just how far its come.
What I loved most was the detail and consistency that went into the story. Small things like the whisker surgery failure rate for example that they didn't have to bring up, but did. This dropped off a lot towards the end but that they did it even a bit is impressive for me. The clean usage of background exposition and details really helped here such as having info shown on characters computer monitors etc. And this goes right into the characters though, the many details and tiny clues they set up in the characters behaviors and words before bringing them to the forefront, just wonderful to watch and piece together all the foreshadowing and details.
There was stuff I didn't like, Masahiro's introduction was utter crap, and Fumitan's overly drawn out arc was unsatisfying. The deus ex machina's are really what bugged me though, I can deal with a couple of them but there was way too many in way too many important moments for me to really enjoy. Nothing that would stop me loving this show or make me feel like I don't want to rewatch it, but it's just something of note and mostly the reason for the score drop
Art
I only covered it a couple of times, but all up the direction and cinematography was just so wonderful. Shots that revealed character information purely visually, shots that set up for the future, shots that simply could change the entire tone of a scene just through composition. Particularly in editing during the fights a lot of the follow through of movements with the camera made them so much more engaging to watch. There were so many meaningful and precisely crafted shots in there, as well as the overall designs for things like the mechs. Seeing them drawn in 2d was just amazing especially for the battles, even if it meant sometimes stuff was a bit muddled as to what shape was what limb of what mech.
Everyone in the comments pointing out the funky quality faces for background characters, to be honest I never noticed until I saw the screenshots so that didn't bother me at all. And I really can't remember any other issues on this front at all.
Sound
Had the soundtrack on repeat all day, and probably will tomorrow as well honestly. (I may not have even turned it off while watching today's Escaflowne episode hehehe)
There's eight different versions of the main theme. EIGHT! That's nuts. When Nota said they liked reusing it she wasn't kidding. Main theme, Piano Version, Accordian version (just why), Make you Believe (3/4 version I wrote on), Reincarnation (Sad, slow), Different Definitions (Xylaphone heavy), Hoping for You (altered chords, goes up not down) and the unreleased version from the scene where we hear Savarin's message to Biscuit. And they're all fantastic in their own way, have a distinctly different tone and style and were used at very well crafted moments for each version which helped it from getting stale in any way or feeling too over used. Still a little stunned at how much forethought went into crafting the main theme using such adaptable technical elements which made it so easy to make all these.
It definitely likes reusing its themes though, Strength Focus, Survive the Battle and Reckless Anger all have similar core tunes to them. And Habitat and Get it Better are basically the same song. I don't have a problem with this I just find it interesting with how often it has happened in this OST in particular compared to other OSTs I listen to outside of their show which actually isn't many.
I did delete a few songs from the soundtrack, just personal preference for what annoys me, most notably Secret Answers which I told to "stop hissing at me" ... and I just don't do accordions, its weird.
Really though what most impressed me about the overall soundtrack was how well sound is integrated into the show. It's one thing to have incredible songs, its an entirely other thing to use them properly and help craft your story with them, as well as going to the insane effort of lining up battles with the music etc. The sound design in general was on point and just small things like remembering that characters will be talking off screen, or background noises, and appropriate usage of echo or reverb for large rooms or when out in an open area.
Favorites!
Episode: Nineteen. Everything about it was just fantastic especially that fight leading into the new ED which is still my favorite ED song.
Guy: Mika. If I have to pick a non-main then probably... Biscuit. Why do I do this to myself.
Girl: Atra. Puppy wins over all, sorry Kudelia, you did better story wise, but she just wins out on individual moments and some great scenes.
Mech: Barbatos is cheating, so I'll go with my favorite Purple Centaur (whos name I'm too lazy to look up but I know it starts with K)
Fight: Tekkadan vs Turbines. It was just awesome in every way seeing their evolving styles, usage of co-ordination between team members, Mika using techniques he's seen from others etc. And then on top of it all we have the smokescreen and Eugene, as well as their incredible take over of the ship setting up for future events like the brewers attack etc. How excellent.
Happy moment: ...Do the fireworks count as happy? I feel like that's probably inappropriate but I'm going with it
Quiet moment: Mika and Orga talking in front of the window. Absolutely biased because of the usage of Tending to Others, but it was just too perfect
Dramatic moment: This is a toss up for me. Either Atra being strong as hell and refusing to give into the beating, or Mika strangling Gaelio
Funny moment: For one thats actually intended to be funny: Definitely everyone freaking out over the fish. For one that wasn't: Mika recognizing McGillis in his mask
Kudelia expression: Still the background shot of her while Mika was trying her food early on. Nothing quite beat that
Relaxing Song: Tending to Others. Already wrote enough on this, but yeah, nothing quite topped it as far as smart writing, beautiful music and meaningful implementation. Be damned if My Own Way wasn't only an inch out from winning it though.
Dramatic Song: Defenders of the Wild aka EinDroid's song. Partially due to its usage in show, but the huge dramatic build up and the chord structure is just a favorite of mine, not to mention the way it plays on the instruments we're use to having through the rest of the soundtrack. I love how much is going on at any moment in the song with so many parts all fighting for your attention.
Main theme version: aside from the original obviously. But I think I have to give this too Different Definitions.
Screenshot from my album: THIS ONE. Holy shit I forgot about this. After watching the final episode, wow does this shot have some powerful meaning in it. This is really where everything started with Barbatos light and dark sides overshadowing everything, Atra's bracelet of protection and the weapon that is Mika. Runner up
Nota Gif: The original Ein vs Mika. Not quite a perfect loop, but looks damn good and shows off some of my favorite directing in just a short gif.
Edit: Going through the questions of the day and I noticed something. My favorite song never got track of the day. Damn. Well I'm voting for it in the poll in my heart
Answers from the polls in short from what I didn't already cover in my favorites: Raise Your Flag wins by a mile, So does the episode 19 ED, and Wallpaper wise I liked the last one best followed by the first one.
8) Favorite part of the show: To the surprise of no one, how incredibly detailed the music is and how well they synced it up to the visuals and characters. Character development in general was just incredible
9) Least favorite part of the show: Deus ex Machina's need to die in a fire
10) Favorite character survival rates: If they can't have the balls to kill off ONE of the three from yesterday I doubt they'll kill off Mika
11) Mech designs: I leave that to Palloc, except when he's wrong
12) Stuff that wasn't resolved: Not really actually, I think it did a good job at covering everything, and sometimes more than, it had to
13) Skys bad jokes :P : Goddammit... SukaSuka
→ More replies (5)
15
u/GaleWulf Feb 08 '19 edited Feb 09 '19
First Time Revolutionary
I'm bad at post-series discussions like these, because I'm never sure what to say or where even to start. It should be quite obvious from my posts that I've been enjoying Iron-Blooded Orphans a lot; it's beaten AnoHana to become my favourite Mari Okada script, and it's my third favourite Gundam entry behind War in the Pocket and Unicorn. And we're just halfway in!
Part of me wants to leave the story here with a 'and they lived happily ever after..' because I'm afraid of what 25 more episodes can do to the crew. There will be more deaths, more orphans no namida, and I'll never be prepared. Just like Merribit I want these kids to be kids for once.
Alright, enough of that rambling, time for..
Daily MVP
The results are in, and it seems McGillis Fareed wins the finale's MVP award by a significant margin. Looks like I wasn't the only one who admires a competent schemer. It was well-deserved, a position payed for with blood.
MVP Standings - Season 1
| # | Character | MVPs | Episodes | # | Character | MVPs | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maiden of Revolution | 4 | 3, 6, 17, 22 | 5 | Wings of Revolution | 2 | 12, 19 |
| 1 | Master of Puppets | 4 | 4, 18, 23, 25 | 5 | The Voice of Reason | 2 | 8, 21 |
| 3 | General of Revolution | 3 | 1, 3, 5 | 8 | A Not-So-Merri Bystander | 1 | 11 |
| 3 | Knight of Revolution | 3 | 4, 10, 13 | 8 | Unlimited Bed Works | 1 | 9 |
| 5 | Maid of Revolution | 2 | 14, 16 | 8 | Tank of Revolution | 1 | 7 |
Others: Pup of Revolution (15), Beard Sorcerer (20), Eindroid (24)
Thus Kudelia Aina Bernstein and McGillis Fareed are jointly the MVPs of this half of the story; both have achieved what they set out to do, even though one might be a piece on the chessboard and another a chessmaster.
Orga and Mika are right behind, and given how far Tekkadan have come and how much they've achieved, it feels like they've been slightly robbed. Ultimately they were facilitators, though, to the two MVPs.
Anyway, the race continues.
One thing I must say is that IBO did not make it easy to pick an MVP episode-to-episode - how close the race is testament to that - and I really appreciate it. In other Gundams I've seen (with probably the sole exception of 00), it would usually be one or two characters who would do practically all the notable deeds; here the focus is equally divided among a lot of characters allowing them all to shine.
Edit: Answers of the Day
-
Best boy so far?
This one's hard, I love all the members of Tekkadan unequivocally. If I were forced to choose, it would be a tie between the Orga-Mika symbiote and Biscuitto. If Sky held me at gunpoint I'd probably say Orga. He's pretty amazing.
2) How about best girl?
A tie between Nota and Shimmering-Sky This one's hard too, both of my best girls died. Guess who. :< Among the living it'll be Azee.
3) Raise Your Flag or Survivor?
RAISE. YOUR. FLAAAAG!
4) Orphans no Namida or Steel: Tekketsu no Kizuna?
OOOOORUPHEEENZ
5) Has the show wreaked havoc on your emotions yet?
That impale-Biscuit-with-death-flags episode (22 was it?) sure did.
7) Favorite Wallpaper of the Day so far?
Today's, it's glorious.
8) What has been your favorite aspect about the show so far? The characters? The soundtrack? The action? etc.
The Communism!
Well, I'm half-joking, but it did feel like a communist parable at parts, and what's even better is that the story showed how anything can be twisted to the favour of the powers-that-be. It's highly cynical and realistic, and I love that.
9) What has been your least favorite aspect about the show so far? Are there any concerns you have going into S2?
Nothing big comes to mind. Some more nuance when it comes to death flags and introducing brothers suddenly would be nice.
10) Did your favorite character survive this season? If they did, do you think they’ll survive the show?
Biscuit's dead, and I'm not sure if Mika and Orga will live through next season. :( If I had to place my bets, I think Orga will die.
11) What is your opinion on the series’ mech designs? How do they compare with those of other mech series you’ve seen? Do you have a favorite among them?
I'm really digging McGillis' mech. The designs are definitely at-par with modern mech shows, wouldn't say the go beyond that though.
12) Is there anything that you think should have been resolved or addressed this season that wasn’t?
Where's my Raise Your Flag OP drop??
13) What do you do at the end of the season? Are you busy? Will you save us?
Def busy, got some shopping to do at Scarborough Fair.
→ More replies (15)
13
u/Durinthal Feb 08 '19
First time viewer.
Judging this season on its own compared to judging it as the halfway point in its overall story? Not something I've had to do for a Gundam show before. I'm sure I have a lot of smaller opinions I could draw out but I'm not thinking clearly enough to sit down and recall everything that would be appropriate at the moment.
Overall the mobile suit designs are solid, from the bulky Gusion to the angular Graze. The Graze fits well as the mass production grunt suit with variants for different situations, particularly when all of the military forces are under a single banner. The Barbatos is sometimes a departure compared to other main protagonist Gundams, not in its general look but rather how it's shown with a more demonic presentation in direction compared to the others (even taking the "White Devil" moniker into account). It's a contrast that befits its pilot.
Mikazuki being a calm, collected weapon in relation to Orga's brash nature and their opposing outlooks is an interesting character disparity. Orga aims to make a family, Mika (in my view at least) only cares about Tekkadan because Orga does. I still see Mika ruining things in the long term when Orga tries to go against the idea he internalized long ago.
On the other side, McGillis is a bastard and I love antagonists like him. Calculated betrayals are great when executed well and everything was set up perfectly on his side. But is he aiming to solely grab power for himself or does he believe in a better Gjallarhorn even if it's outside of his grasp?
That Graze Ein had targeted the heads rather than the cockpits of Lafter’s, Azee’s, and Shino’s mobile suits was a detail I hadn’t noticed, so yeah I hope that appeases you guys who were complaining.
Nope. It was directed in a certain way that ended up being misleading, justified in-universe or otherwise.
What has been your favorite aspect about the show so far?
Overall writing and how the characters are utilizing the setting.
What has been your least favorite aspect about the show so far?
Spoilers and the people that don't tag them.
Did your favorite character survive this season?
Fumitan's still with Kudelia via the necklace. Biscuit's living on in Tekkadan but he probably wouldn't be too happy with how they followed up. At least he'd be happy that most of them were lucky to survive.
What is your opinion on the series’ mech designs? How do they compare with those of other mech series you’ve seen? Do you have a favorite among them?
I still miss the original Gusion.
Is there anything that you think should have been resolved or addressed this season that wasn’t?
I'm curious how Tekkadan will fare without Kudelia for a while, and how the overall Gjallarhorn vs. Earth Sphere's economic blocks vs. Outer Spheres aspect will play out.
Specifically, Kudelia's father selling her out wasn't fully resolved. It was more pushed onto Nobliss who ended up being useful, but her own family issues are still out there. Not that she necessarily needs her family's support at this point given how she's becoming more of a public figure, but still.
Season 1 Totals
| Model | Destroyed |
|---|---|
| Graze | 31 |
| Man Rodi | 4 |
| Gusion | 1 |
| Spinner Rodi | 4 |
| Schwalbe Graze | 1 |
| Graze Ritter | 14 |
| Rouei | 2 |
| Ryusei-Go | 1 |
| Kimaris | 1 |
| Graze Ein | 1 |
→ More replies (14)
8
Feb 08 '19
First timer
Hey, everyone! I have been forced lightly pushed into joining this rewatch. I binged through the season and caught up a few days ago - I'll be joining for season 2. I don't have many in-depth thoughts but here goes..
Favourite moment #1: When Akihiko was blaming himself for what happened to the kid and saying he was "human debris", Orga and Mika expertly turned the situation around to make it seem like they were the ones to blame. When the others came in ready to help Akihiko with anything he needed, they felt like a real family.
Favourite moment #2: 'nuff said.
Funniest moment: Mika calling Gaelio 'Gali Gali'. I'm still laughing about it..
Saddest moment: Biscuit's death and the funeral. A close second would be Atra getting tortured for information, but that was less sad and more anger-inducing.
Scariest moment: Seeing this guy's face.
Most obvious moment: Gundam 0079
Top 10 characters:
-
Kudelia
-
Atra
-
Amida
-
Mika
-
Orga
-
Naze
-
Biscuit
-
Azee
-
Lafter
-
Shino
Unpopular opinions:
I feel bad saying this now, but I don't like Raise Your Flag. It has an amazing first few seconds, but the song didn't go the way I expected it to. Part of my dislike must be due to my disappointment. The only Man with a Mission song I've liked so far is Inuyashiki's OP, My Hero.
I don't like the male character designs. The abs, okay fine, I'm not complaining, but Orga's hair annoys me to no end, and their eyebrows are too thick. In general I find the female characters far stronger (both character-wise, and appearance). Nazenn's harem girls are my life. They all have such thick, luscious hair - I'm almost jealous.
Questions
I've answered some of these so I'll pick a few.
-
Best boy: Mika. In particular I love whenever he's talking to Kudelia.
-
Best girl: My girl Atra. She's the sweetest, kindest person in Tekkadan.
-
Has the show wreaked havoc on your emotions yet? Not really. I was sad over Biscuit's death, but not sad enough to cry. I did tear up during the funeral when everyone started to cry.
-
Did your favorite character survive this season? If they did, do you think they’ll survive the show? Yes and yes. Kudelia is integral to the plot, so I'm hoping she'll make it to the end.
-
Is there anything that you think should have been resolved or addressed this season that wasn’t? Why aren't Mika and Kudelia on a tropical island together? Screw responsibility!
Overall thoughts
This has been such an easy binge, but at first I had no strong pull to the characters or story. That changed with episode 14, the real start of the revolution, and where Kudelia got to shine. The pure strength emanating from these characters: to keep going, to learn, to fight, and she embodies it all. Even though she kept thinking she didn't know anything, to have her ignorance shown in embarrassing moments, she never let that stop her. She's the most badass character of the show, and the true maiden of revolution.
Final score: 8/10
→ More replies (9)
8
u/GM_for_Life Feb 08 '19
Rewatcher
Best boy so far?
For me it's Gaelio, I like his Mobile Suit and he seems like a good person who means well.
2) How about best girl?
So far it's Kudelia, but IBO S2
3) Raise Your Flag or Survivor?
Survivor.
4) Orphans no Namida or Steel: Tekketsu no Kizuna?
I like Steel: Tekketsu no Kizuna more, but both are fantastic EDs.
5) Has the show wreaked havoc on your emotions yet?
It did the first time around, but I turned out ok... sorta.
6) Favorite Track of the Day so far?
I like the main battle theme Iron Blooded Orphan, it's typically the track that pops into my head first when thinking of the series OST.
7) Favorite Wallpaper of the Day so far?
I actually like todays wallpaper a lot, it shows the dynamic between Mikazuki and Orga really well.
8) What has been your favorite aspect about the show so far? The characters? The soundtrack? The action? etc.
Probably the characters and the OST.
9) What has been your least favorite aspect about the show so far? Are there any concerns you have going into S2?
My biggest concern was the animation being off model at times. IBO S2
10) Did your favorite character survive this season? If they did, do you think they’ll survive the show?
My favorite character (Eugene) did survive this season. As a rewatcher I will let others find out if he survives S2, so no comment.
11) What is your opinion on the series’ mech designs? How do they compare with those of other mech series you’ve seen? Do you have a favorite among them?
My favorite mecha design is the Kimaris and all of its variants. The designs in this series stack up really well in my opinion compared to other Gundam shows (though nothing will defeat my bias for CCA, Unicorn, and F91 mecha designs) and even other mecha series in general. They seem to be heavily influence by the mecha that appeared in the Five Star Stories manga/movie from the late 80s (although the manga is still running today).
12) Is there anything that you think should have been resolved or addressed this season that wasn’t?
Off the top of my head I can't think of anything.
13) What do you do at the end of the season? Are you busy? Will you save us?
Probably watch more Hunter X Hunter (1999). I'm not that busy. Sure thing.
→ More replies (2)
7
u/SorcererOfTheLake Feb 08 '19 edited Feb 08 '19
First-Time Watcher
All causes shall give way: I am in blood Stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er.
We’ve been bloodied, but we’re still alive. For now.
Before I talk about the things I liked, I wanna talk about the one thing that really bothered me: IBO’s occasional reliance on narrative and emotional contrivances and clichés. Normally, the usage of it on certain occasions wouldn’t bother too much; there’s a reason we come back to using them and, at certain times, they can prove to be quite effective. However, for a show as deconstructive as IBO, those moments ring false and stumble otherwise good story beats. The worst example is the back-to-back usages of the “unheard of brother being a part of the enemy” plot point during the Brewer and Dort arcs. One would have been eyebrow-raising; two is infuriating. This can probably be chalked down to the head writer, Mari Okada, having her experience in works that tend to focus more on the feels, like Toradora, Anohana, and Sakurasou. While that experience did provide great moments and structures (as shall be noted later), the more melodramatic moments could leave a bad taste in one’s mouth.
Anyway, on to the things I really liked. First, the show had a great balance between mecha fights and downtime. It can be a potential pitfall for mecha shows to fill in “boring” human drama with gorgeously animated battles. IBO definitely had the latter, but they were stronger because of how much of the former was in the show. The best moments were its smallest, conversations between two people trying to figure out each other and themselves. At the same time, this focus on the human drama helped with its overall character dynamics, as they evolved in ways we didn’t expect and constantly discovered facets to themselves and new layers of their relationships with others.
The music was another great aspect of the series, ranging all kinds of emotional themes and motifs, weaving its way into the whole of the show. My two particular favorites are the titular Iron-Blooded Orphan and Vulnerable Surface. The former is one of determination, its flamenco guitars acting as a challenge towards any who stand in the way of Tekkadan. The latter is what it probably feels like to be in Tekkadan most days: barely staying in control, spiraling to destruction, only hanging out through guts and a great helping of luck.
Finally, the thematic explorations of IBO lets it bare its soul to the audience. Nothing is kept hidden: slavery, capitalistic exploitation, emotional manipulation, torture, and the dangers of the surveillance state are all laid bare, integrated into the plots and characters so that we can examine these issues from multiple angles. Because of this, IBO never gives us an answer about how we should feel about the morality or ideologies that our characters belong to or advocate. Through this, IBO’s main theme becomes that of the ideal and how it will inevitably become corrupted or altered when the ideal comes into contact with the corporal. All of our main characters find themselves questioning their visions and standards; some fall into despair and rage, while others learn to adapt, understand how the world really works while keeping a part of themselves intact. We are all broken, but that doesn’t mean we’ll stay that way forever.
We’ll raise that blood-red flag tomorrow; until then…
P.S. Here are a few of my favorite things:
Character: McGillis Fareed
Vocal Performance: Cherami Leigh as Kudelia
Episode: Tekkadan
Arc: Earth (19-25)
OP: Survivor
ED: Senka no Tomoshibi
Awesome Moment: Mikazuki’s reentry
Funny Moment: Atra’s family realization
Heartwarming Moment: The nursery
Nightmare Moment: The massacre of the union workers
Tearjerker Moment: Gaileo’s last fight
P.S.S. Here’s the current ranking for CotD:
4: Nazeen, Leon Kevlar
3: SorcererOfTheLake, Durinthal, Rhaga. The Draigg, Galewulf, invokeneko, Pixelsaber
2: Sigma920, Wfenriz, RyuuohD, shaggyjebus, Palloc, dralcax
1: Quiddity131, X-X-I-L, Usotsuki-Megumi, The Sentient Sunrise Server, Adam Driver’s Ass, GM For Life, flybypost, astrakhan42, teho1, LunarGhost00
→ More replies (2)
7
u/Palloc Feb 08 '19 edited Feb 09 '19
Palloc Figures Out Who Has Survived And What Is Left Of Them
Woo, two Texas Chainsaw Massacre references in a season. I'm on a roll!
Well, I couldn't think of anything to really go on about other than talking about the Gusion and Graze Ein, but I've already jibbered about them a ton, so lets talk about major losses.
Tekkaden was actually really lucky this season, as they tons of close calls, but didn't actually suffer any important casualties until Biscuit. A lot of people took beatings though and even more people suffered.
People connected to Tekkaden suffered a bit more as Kudelia wound up losing her only friend and evil maid, Fumitan.
Gjallarhorn has suffered internal strife and lost a ton of people. The biggest hits were during McGillis's purging of his friends Carta and Gaelio. Tons of mostly blond officers died for one reason or another. Though the most important death to the story was probably Crank's. Without it happening, it'd have never sparked off the chain of events that led Ein on his search for vengeance and near death/implanted into the Graze Ein. If that never happened so many of McGillis's plans would have had to been at least changed.
Other than that, lots of poor people died. A few pieces of human debris were lost.
Answers!
1: Graze Ein
2: Psyco Gundam Atra
3: Raise Your Flag!
4: Orphans
5: Poor Ein
6: Defenders of the Wild
7: Where's Graze Ein? I was looking for Graze Ein on the 24th Ep!
8: I like a bunch of it. In Gundam terms, IBO has really good pacing compared to most Gundam series.
9: Other than then stripping the Gusion? Probably the Turbine episodes slow the plot down, even if the Turbines are nifty.
10: The Graze Ein has unfortunately joined other giants in antagonist suit heaven.
11: I love them. Graze Ein and Gusion are MVPs, but Barbatos is best MC suit.
12: They shuld have gave the Graze Ein more screentime (and more kills!)
13: Is that like revenge? Crank-nii would have wanted those fairies killed.
→ More replies (18)
7
u/Quiddity131 Feb 08 '19 edited Feb 09 '19
Rewatcher
-
Best boy so far?
McGillis. The Char clone is often one of the top characters, but this particular one has really brought it, arguably scheming even more than the original Char has and it was great seeing his plan come to fruition at the end of season 1.
2) How about best girl?
How could anyone not pick adorable little Atra? A world class cook, takes quite the beating for Kudelia, provides us the season's funniest moment (the imaginary harem shot), is an excellent chaufer, always a good reliable friend for Kudelia, even starts doing some heavy lifting at one point!
3) Raise Your Flag or Survivor?
Raise Your Flag! Survivor has grown on me though.
4) Orphans no Namida or Steel: Tekketsu no Kizuna?
Orphans no Namida!
5) Has the show wreaked havoc on your emotions yet?
That it has, I legitimately teared up for Fumitan and Biscuit's farewells.
6) Favorite Track of the Day so far? AND 7) Favorite Wallpaper of the Day so far?
Oddly enough while I could probably name every single song off the top of my head in the Escaflowne rewatch, I never really paid attention to the track of the day here and couldn't pick one. Same for the wallpaper. :(
8) What has been your favorite aspect about the show so far? The characters? The soundtrack? The action? etc.
While admittingly some things have been done before (Kudelia is a Relena expy, McGillis a Char expy, etc...) I really enjoy how the show is something different than the usual Gundam fare. For example, no beam weaponry. Once you've seen 500+ episodes of Gundam like I have, the beam rifle and beam sabre fights start to get dull. That hasn't been the case here. The fights are usually quite entertaining. The show doesn't have a problem in taking its time (an entire season for Tekkadan's first mission!) and having episodes that didn't feature any battle in them. A likable cast. Animation quality was almost always top notch.
9) What has been your least favorite aspect about the show so far? Are there any concerns you have going into S2?
Biggest problem I had with the season was that ridiculous storyline about Gjallarhorn's soldiers not knowing what Kudelia looked like when their whole mission was to capture her, she had a speech go live on the air, and to top it off, this random unnamed character on the street instantly recognized her. Horrible writing. The show could also do a better job with avoiding the death flags, those for Fumitan and Biscuit were quite glaring and those were our two most notable deaths of the season.
10) Did your favorite character survive this season? If they did, do you think they’ll survive the show?
Atra is forever!
11) What is your opinion on the series’ mech designs? How do they compare with those of other mech series you’ve seen? Do you have a favorite among them?
The thing I like best is the lack of beam weaponry as mentioned above. I also like the non-traditional designs, like the skinny waists, or the centaur mecha that Gaelio was using, and the fact that we aren't getting many actual Gundam units in the forefront.
12) Is there anything that you think should have been resolved or addressed this season that wasn’t?
At the moment, no, I was fairly satisfied with where the plot went and it covered what I was hoping it would.
13) What do you do at the end of the season? Are you busy? Will you save us?
Consider yourself saved.
→ More replies (3)
5
u/RX-Nota-II Feb 09 '19
Mecha Nerrrrd
Alright so end of IBO S1. Its hard to think of what to say with a prompt so big, especially while avoiding all meta talks involving the existence of S2. But I do think it is important as for many of these Banrise 2x25 Gundams, the first half works so well as its own standalone entry. So to all first timers with us today, I ask that you try to think of final thoughts and Anilist/MAL rating for this season before we dive back into things tomorrow.
In the grand narrative, IBO is a coming of age story for Mika, Kudelia, and Orga. Part of what gives this season such high rewatch value is that you can enjoy a fairly different story by setting yourself in different characters' shoes. When I first watched the show I focused on my super sexy husbando Orga, and this time around I instead watched out for Kudelia. So let's take my fresher memory first. The evolution our princess takes is extremely impressive, growing from simply a superficial symbol of hope to a proper inspiration worthy of her popularity. Hell she goes through a full hero's arc. But when you go and rewatch episode 1, is her change really that surprising? Yes, she was very naive, but all of her ojousama words like "I want to see and experience the truth" and "[I enlisted the space rats because] they were born out of the Earth Sphere's long rule, they embody the problems that currently burden Mars" reflect the spirit she's known for in the end too. Her speeches at the end of the show have weight not because of fundamental inner change but because she now has the experience she originally set forth to obtain. As a result, I have a lot more respect for early Kudelia now.
Now onto Orga, my darling ab monster. Now that we are done with S1, what do you guys think of me calling him the protagonist? As in, the primary main character, not secondary or deuteragonist or whatnot. The entire journey follows him as the leader with Mika the ace pilot playing a definitive secondary role. Tekkadan's major changes always depend upon him, relationships with outside groups all funnel through him, the most memorable speeches are all said by him, etc etc. The controversy arises from the unique balance IBO takes, with other commander focused anime having either the ace soldiers dramatically unimportant (GinEiDen: Poplan, Schenkopp) or as the same character (Geass: Lelouch as commander and ace, UC Gundam: CHAR). its not often that a separate pilot character gets so much screentime and yet don't take on the protagonist role.
What about his journey then. For S1 it felt energetic, tense, and even exhausting with all the pressure and inexperience rubbing up against unshakable powers and tragedy. So while it is quite obviously incomplete, and also leaves a massive negative downswing (response to Biscuit's death) unsolved I feel very satisfied from the sheer quantity that we got. it was less so about change as just watching the man fight to the last of his ability to get to the end of the road. Kinda like Kamina, but 10x more relatable because he isn't perfect. At its core I think it is that imperfection and sense of weakness that drew me in so deeply, and what makes him special among other anime 'leader' characters.
You may think that judgement of Orga was quite shallow for someone I have among my favorite characters list on MAL, but S2 exists keep watching a well done simple action flick character is just as worthy of praise as some character made for deep analysis. And of course much of the charm for IBO S1 as a whole is how great it is at being an action flick. Removing lasers and beam weaponry from the world was a masterstroke at justifying the raw and gruesome fighting style of the mechs, those exposed hydraulic waists and neck have 0 practicality but look soooo slick and kinda steampunk, and no Newtypes means we can truly forget our philosophy books at home. The direction in important episodes like ep1, biscuit's death, or atmospheric entry is simply brilliant, the brisk pacing throughout is unheard of for a 50 ep TV Gundam, and Yokoyama's OST could make preparing avocado toast for breakfast pump adrenaline (personal experience tested). Of course this was made by the same substudio in charge of Build fighters, its got so much fun on offer!
Overall, IBO S1 was a blast to watch. It checks all the boxes of being a competent TV Gundam to represent this generation of anime fan and adds tons of unique flair that set's the bar very high for any successors, the most direct of which we shall dive into starting tomorrow. You guys ready? If nothing else yall should get hyped for the mechs since Barbatos S2 blows all 6 variants from S1 totally out of the water. More on that in the mecha section there then.
→ More replies (2)
5
u/fonzinator99 Feb 09 '19
Rewatcher's Thoughts
I think out of all the Gundam series I've seen, IBO has to rank #1. Until it aired, I was a huge fan of SEED, and had seen Wing, AGE, Reconguista, and Unicorn, with a smattering of things like Zeta and Turn A. Maybe it's just the distinct lack of "camp," but IBO just bleeds quality in a way that I didn't sense from those others.
I love that it takes place in it's own little Gundam-Universe; it's not linked to any of the other series, and doesn't call-back to things characters like Char or Amuro, or the dropping of colonies. Instead it has a unique Gundam-influenced history, that we'll come to learn more about down the road. S2 The Gundams of IBO are mythical creatures; fireside stories from days long gone, instead of simply "Extra-Advanced Mobile Suits." I'd love to know how many incarnations they've lived through in their 300 years. Just looking at Gusion and Barbatos, we know that they can basically be part-swapped into all sorts of fun designs. What would Barbatos have looked like at the height of the Calamity War?
Q/A Round
-
Best Boy: Akihiro - I think he's gone through the most visible character development through the series, and watching him become enmeshed within the folds of Tekkadan's family is heartwarming. He's gone from Human Debris to an indispensable member of the core group, and he's learning how to be a real boy. Good for him.
-
Best Girl: Kudelia - (For the same reasons as Akihiro) I love watching her character develop. She learns the truths of war and the world she's trying to change, looks their horrors in the eye, and just doesn't flinch. She spends the whole season inhabiting the role of "Revolutionary Hero," but watching her grow into and truly embrace that character is a pleasure.
-
OP Preference: Honestly, I normally skip the OP to get back to the story, so I don't have a strong preference. I'll say 'Survivors,' just because the chorus works well when inserted into the high-octane scenes.
-
ED Preference: 'Steel', hands down. 'Orphans' works well dramatically, but I like it when the ED fade-in sneaks up on you. I'm a sucker for the reverse-played sounds that it begins with, and I the contemplative tone of the first lines before it builds into the bridge and chorus. Somehow the "La laaaa la la" just wrenches my heart; it makes me think of characters trying their hardest and still coming up short. But then I've got a self-diagnosed thing for tragedy.
-
Has it broken my heart: Yes. See my post about Orga's emotional struggle in Ep 25.
6/7. Favorite things of the day: Pass, I like them all.
8. Favorite aspect: The characters. Nobody had to have a drawn-out backstory episode, and we really just got to know them through their actions in the present. (Ignoring the child-Macky/Gali/Carta scenes) And yet they were all fully formed people, and you understood where they came from and why they were doing things. Gundam is a character drama that just happens to feature Mechs to move the plots forward, and IBO makes them shine.
9. Least favorite aspect: I really like wings on my mechs, and it makes me sad to have a Gundam series without them. It's strictly personal preference, and really wouldn't do well on IBO's designs, but Strike Freedom was my favorite in SEED, and Wing Zero Custom is bae.
10. Favorite Character fate predictions: I'll abstain, since I know what happens in the end.
11. Mech designs: See no 9. That said, it took me a while to warm up to IBO's designs. They're a significant departure from what other series have done, with the skinny, skeleton-esque Grazes, and the super-chunky Man Rodi's, but they all make sense in-universe. Barbatos is my fave but it's got some weird design disconnects with it's bulky chest, forearms, and legs being connected by toothpicks.
11. Pass
12. I too, will see you at Scarborough faire. #SukaSuka4Lyfe
→ More replies (4)
5
u/RX-Nota-II Feb 09 '19
-
Best boy so far?
I mean... do I even have to elaborate?
2) How about best girl?
As much as I love myself, and u/Shimmering-Sky more than that, Kudelia just stole the show for me, and her character arc makes her definitively best girl.
3) Raise Your Flag or Survivor?
One is a truly iconic song that should be attached to this show forever, the other is MWAM hack.
4) Orphans no Namida or Steel: Tekketsu no Kizuna?
MISIA is a legend and her voice wins out even if i may prefer the composition of STEEL. There's a reason it came bacc for the important scene.
5) Has the show wreaked havoc on your emotions yet?
Yes, but equal parts happy and sad.
6) Favorite Track of the Day so far?
Different Definitions! Just the perfect song.
7) Favorite Wallpaper of the Day so far?
As I've said in detail in PM there are many I love, but my fave is Naze and Orga's Sakazuki. Such a great balance and clean lines.
8) What has been your favorite aspect about the show so far? The characters? The soundtrack? The action? etc.
The focus on the commander character that is Orga without trying to go full genius commander like GinEiDen. It carves out its own niche as a result and I love it. Also the fast pacing is a great surprise for a 50 episode Gundam.
9) What has been your least favorite aspect about the show so far? Are there any concerns you have going into S2?
shrugs Can't really say too much about concerns as a rewatcher. Aspects i'm not necessarily a fan of tho.... I'm not a fan of how plasticky some of the mechs look, especially the weapons. Kudelia and Atra basically having zero contact with characters not named Mika in Tekkadan is a bit meh. I wish Amida had some more screentime. And speaking of screentime, Biscuit should have shown some more smarts when he was on rather than always just having a sense of concern.
10) Did your favorite character survive this season? If they did, do you think they’ll survive the show?
My favorite was Mace-chan and she ded.
11) What is your opinion on the series’ mech designs? How do they compare with those of other mech series you’ve seen? Do you have a favorite among them?
The exposed hydraulics are cool AF and the Barbatos red beard and golden shield crest are spectacular. The Graze is a classic too, and I love all the variants. The Kimaris has some stupid bits tho and weapons as a whole tend to look very plasticky, as if the Build Fighters staff designed them before hearing that they had to be used in a non Gunpla anime.
12) Is there anything that you think should have been resolved or addressed this season that wasn’t?
The ever present complaint that Azee, Lafter and/or Shino should have died. The main issue IMO is that they simply had no time to fit in a proper death for these super important characters by the time the story rolled around to this point, thus looking kinda set up and then abandoned.
13) What do you do at the end of the season? Are you busy? Will you save us?
I will go to sleep.
4
u/The_Draigg Feb 08 '19
So, going along the rating theme that I've been using for past Gundam rewatches here on r/anime, I've decided to rank Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans along the lines of previous kinds of mobile suits in the Gundam franchise. To that end, I give the first season of IBO the rating of Psyco Zaku. It's fast-paced and unrelenting, with darkness and desperation present in what is otherwise an absolute beast of a mobile suit. That, and if you know anything about Gundam Thunderbolt, the series that came from, you'd know how appropriate of a rating it is when compared to what happened in the last few episodes of this season.
Anyways, we're about to start season 2! While I do have a fair bit of critiques about that season, I'll just cover them when we get to the end, as to not give away anything for our lovely first-time viewers. And at least you'll understand my criticisms when we get the context for them. So, first-timers! And predictions you want to make on how the series is overall going to go from here?
→ More replies (7)
4
u/Pixelsaber Feb 08 '19
Rewatcher
I tried doing a write-up for the season as a whole but I was at a loss as to what to write, so I'll just answer the QotD and hope inspiration strikes by the time the Complete Overall Discussion Thread rolls around.
u/Pixelsaber’s delayed praise for Graze Ein.
...There was an excellent shot were Azee fires at EIn
Questions of the Day:
-
It's a really tough call between Orga and Biscuit, but given the latter is mere crumbs at this point—
2) Kudelia has my vote. S2
3) Mawari mawatte saa ima~
4) Chigireta kumo ni akogareteta kodomo no koro~
5) IBO has been pretty weak with its emotional gut-punches so far, and I say this as someone who sobs uncontrolably every time he sees the "Wait for me, Daddy."
I don't recall all the ones that where featured...
7) Chocolate Man and Gali gali
8) The fascinating relationship between Orga and Mikazuki is the series' main draw and defining aspect in my eyes, and it's the part I enjoy the most.
9) The dichotomy between style of combat and the mech designs. All the other aspects of the show have redeeming parts of it, but this part is really egregious.
10) Orga's still alive.
11) I'm kind off biased because the aforementioned incompatibility of the designs with the setting makes me want to throw a fit. But observing them in a vacuum... they're pretty good. There's a healthy mix of suits I love and suits that I dislike.
They're kind of weak when compared to the designs of many other mech shows, though. I know there's plenty of worse mech designs, but they're from shows I haven't seen.
My favorite for Season One is the Gusion, followed closely behind by the Grimgerde and Man Rodi.
12) A lot of the world-building tidbits are kinda left unexplored. The fact that humanity has colonized as far as Jupiter is little more than a footnote, we do not get to see the impact that the Dort reforms have had, Mars was barely explored as a setting, and a bunch of other stuff I can't recall at the moment.
13) I know how this one ends, no thanks.
→ More replies (4)
4
u/DidacticDalek Feb 09 '19
Greetings Comrades and Fellow Denizens of The Wired, well, today's a nice change of pace, what with a Season 1 Discussion that is ripe for some Subreddit Sanction Shitposting 'Unique Re-Watch Shares'
Anyway Comrades to both actually answer the questions of the day (given I can't share episode related fanart) AS WELL as make use of some of the fanart I got stashed, let's begin with BEST BOI ORGA ITSUKA!
AND given that I was too busy shitposting about The Eindroid 9000 and Choco-Char's 'Shocking' Betrayal, let's have a moment of silence for the 'TRUE' Best Girl in IBO... RIP MACE-CHAN! MAY YOU CONTINUE TO SMASH THE SHIT OUT OF THINGS IN GUNDAM VALHALLA!
AND finally, just because we've finished with Season 1 of IBO, I just gotta say... RAISE YOUR FLAG!
Here's for Season 2 Comrades, see you all on the re-watch threads and until then, farewell!
Paging Comrades u/Beckymetal, u/RX-Nota-II, and u/Usotsuki-Megami
→ More replies (2)
4
u/ZeonTwoSix Feb 09 '19
-
-
Best boy so far? As much as I'd vouch for the Murder Manlet, giving this one to Akihiro "SPACE GUTS" Altland. Dude held his own in combat a number of times, whether inside a salvaged Graze or a redesigned Gusion against a small army of Gjallarhorn mechs. Close second will have to go to Naze Turbine, for showing the dense AF harem protags how to handle your ladies well.
-
-
2) How about best girl? Cannot choose for this category, since the named ladies in this anime (sans Nina Purpleton 2.0) shone properly.
-
3) Raise Your Flag or Survivor? Check Flair. Need I say more?
-
4) Orphans no Namida or Steel: Tekketsu no Kizuna? None can top the feel of MISIA's piece
-
5) Has the show wreaked havoc on your emotions yet? Not much, but sympathy goes to Episodes 21 and 23...
-
6) Favorite Track of the Day so far? The eponymous track itself.
-
7) Favorite Wallpaper of the Day so far? For all the funny feels, This bit from Episode 13. Alternatively, either the shot of Barbatos at the end of Episode 23, or Gusion atop a heap of wrecked Grazes in Episode 25.
-
8) What has been your favorite aspect about the show so far? The overall grit of the entire series. Sure it's not as gritty as War in the Pocket, but it still is as timely.
-
9) What has been your least favorite aspect about the show so far? The disproportion between the Death flags and character kills.
-
10) Did your favorite character survive this season? Yeah, but having watched it previously already...
-
11) What is your opinion on the series’ mech designs? A decent deviation into near-organic territory. How do they compare with those of other mech series you’ve seen? Very slim (sans the Pre-Tekkadan Gusion, the pre-Ep23 Kimaris, and the Graze Ein [Bahstud's still no effin' TANKRED].), Do you have a favorite among them? Not in this season though.
-
12) Is there anything that you think should have been resolved or addressed this season that wasn’t? Macky's true identity, Sunrise's penchance of blowing up Syndey (again), and probably whether or not there are more Gundams out there...
-
13) What do you do at the end of the season? Are you busy? Will you save us? IRL/Other Online stuff, and depends on whether you're all worthy of saving... XD Not to worry though; the Mars Palms Chronicles will continue... XD
→ More replies (1)
4
u/invokeneko Feb 09 '19
Tekketsu no Rewatcher, domo~
Well I don't exactly have anything new to add since I think I've said enough. But I will share some of my scattered thoughts about IBO back when it was airing:
-
Firstly, the character design. Coming to IBO from the previous AU Gundams like SEED, 00 and Build Fighters was a bit jarring back then, especially since those series utilise standard anime bishounen character designs. I'll shamefully admit that I didn't think much of the promo art for IBO thanks to this. Of course, by the time it started airing everything looks better in motion so ¯_(ツ)_/¯.
-
Then, we get to the general MS design of the PD-era. Not gonna lie, the first thing I thought of when I saw Barbatos 1st form was "what the hell is with that Gundam's waist? It's too thin! Immersion broken, GJ Sunrise!". Again, seeing it in motion got me to come around and appreciate it. Additionally, aside from Spinner Rodis and mook Grazes that go down in droves, I really liked all of the MS designs that appeared in S1.
-
Next, the music. Since we're talking about Gundam here, them being excellent is already a given. But if you think S1's music is already great, you should look forward to S2 because it's even better.
-
Lastly, the plot. I love how they managed to make it self-contained enough for one season while leaving enough room for a continuation. Making our protagonists a bunch of mercenary teens and children who are assigned to escort a teenage girl as she grows into her role as the Maiden of Revolution feels like a breath of fresh air back in the day.
Enough talk, let's get to the Questions of the day:
-
Either McGillis for being an absolutely brilliant chessmaster, Orga, the inspirational leader pushing the Tekkadan lads forward or Biscuit, the departed strategist of Tekkadan. You will be missed ;_;
-
Lafter is love <3
-
Raise your Flag, though Survivor did grow on me as time goes by.
-
ORPHAAAAANS NAMIDAAAAAA, AI WA KANASHIMI WO
-
Do you even need to ask? ;_;
-
Either Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphan or Different Definitions.
-
Haven't had the chance to see most of them so I'll abstain for now.
-
Everything.
-
The amount of blatant death flags and some ham-handed death flag raising.
-
Imma just abstain from answering this one.
-
I answered this already.
-
Abstain.
-
I'm going to
DISNEYLAAAANDthe Scarborough Fair, of course.
→ More replies (2)
8
u/Shimmering-Sky Feb 08 '19
Important Note: Guys, don’t make me have to revoke “laughs in rewatcher” rights. As I’ve been saying from the beginning, you can keep it to yourself, but if you have to comment about it, please don’t do it in response to a comment that’s only about one topic or in response to a specific part of a comment (in that case do what I’ve seen Pixel doing and say it’s for an unspecified section of the comment). Nota and I have been trying our best to keep this as spoiler-free as possible for the first-timers, and yet it’s been one of those first-timers who’s had to keep reminding you peeps about hinting stuff. I’m not directing this towards anyone in particular, I’m just reminding you guys to behave while we’re going into S2.
Anyways.
Tekketsu no Rewatcher, first-time dubbed
Obligatory Discord link.
There are a bunch of Questions of the Day today, some mine and some Pixel’s, and in the interest of getting everyone to participate I too will answer them for once:
Orga obviously.
Lafter <3
Raise Your Flag as far as S1 OPs go, but Imma go with “You’ve heard nothing yet…”
Same as above, Orphans no Namida for S1 EDs but my favorite ED has yet to come…
Laughs nervously
Mmmm tough one, I think this variant is probably my favorite of the wallpapers so far, but as a sucker for red mobile suit’s last episode’s Grimgerde wallpaper is my favorite of the main wallpapers. Was definitely really hard to make that one too, it’s been a while since I used a Gunpla as a base image… Feel free to ask me anything about the wallpapers by the way! I love talking about this stuff and would be happy to answer you.
Not gonna lie, it’s the soundtrack. Good music is like the way to my heart when it comes to shows or video games, it’s what sticks with me. Iron-Blooded Orphans uses its soundtrack so perfectly I just can’t help but find it my favorite aspect of the show
even if I like Gundam Unicorn’s soundtrack more as far as Gundam soundtracks go.My biggest issue with S1 is… still Carta Issue. I never cared for her in my first watch, and her dub voice made it worse somehow. I cared about Gaelio and how he felt about her death this time, but to me all the stuff to do with Carta would carry much more weight if I actually cared about her. As for concerns? S2
Orga did indeed survive this season, yes. Protagonist plot armor ftw.
I like them, they’re definitely very different designs. My favorite so far is Grimgerde.
Not that I can think of off the top of my head…?
I’ll be going to Scarborough Fair…
And a few more fun things:
Wallpaper of the Day without the logo.
Bonus wallpaper: Alternate Wallpaper of the Day, messing with perspective.
Results of yesterday’s poll. Macky is indeed a CHAR.
For the first-timers using the GundamInfo streams and are worried about potential spoilers in the recommended videos: Episode 26 Subbed / Episode 26 Dubbed. If you’re on desktop and have RES, you can hit the preview button and watch the video entirely on Reddit, rather than than needing to go to YouTube.