With Toonami airing Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans this weekend, I thought I took the time to give the series a second look after seeing it in Japanese a few months back. I explained the general plot of Iron-Blooded Orphans in my First Impressions review, which you can find in the video description. So instead I will give quick thoughts on the first season overall.
First off, Iron-Blooded Orphans, or IBO for short, or simply just 'Orphans', is part of the Another Gundam or the Alternate Universe line of the Gundam franchise. In other words, it's a stand-alone series with no ties to any previous Gundam works, so if you happen to be new to the franchise, this serves as an entry point of sorts.
I like that Orphans is very much grounded as far as the tech is concerned. The Gundam franchise prides itself as being sophisticated in its technology that is on par, if not surpass the technological concepts found in Star Trek and Star Wars - from Beam Rifles to Remote-Controlled Weapons, Radar-Jamming Particles, etc.. In IBO's case, they still use conventional weapons and ammo used today. And for close combat, instead of Beam Swords, it's large melee weapons made of steel so menacing you don't want to get hit by one of those, ever!
One thing I've listened to from other Gundam and mecha fans who've seen the series is that they don't like the lack of action this series has. More often than not, you have to wait around 3 to 5 episodes before an actual armed conflict takes place. To me, it's actually just fine as it gives time to know more of the characters and the world around them. It also shows the everyday lives of the Tekkadan crew and eventually, I get to form an attachment to them.
That being said, I find the Tekkadan crew as essentially the only group of characters that really matter. Everyone else just deserves to be cast aside because I really couldn't care about them at all. The show does try its best to make the other characters relevant, with a very small degree of success.
And when the fights really do come, unlike other Gundam shows, the Gundams here are indeed powerful, but are not by all means invincible. Even in the early episodes, the Barbatos suffered quite the damage against a grunt unit. This helps make the fights more interesting with the knowledge that there is a good possiblity the Barbatos and the other Gundams will end up wrecked.
What I really dislike about Orphans is how predictable the plot is. You can easily tell what will happen in future episodes and which characters are more than likely to get killed off. Ironically, when the latter does happen in the case of some specific characters, you do feel that weight being placed upon you. Even more so if the scene is followed by any of the show's 2 ending themes, which does have a great sense of sadness into them, but also a sense of peace and tranquility. Still, despite all this, you are compelled to see what happens next.
And then we have Mikazuki Augus, the series' protagonist. This guy is both cool and scary at the same time.
The Cool part: the show reminds you as awesome as Mikazuki is as a soldier and the Gundam Barbatos's pilot, he is still a young lad and shows as much. I find it humnling how Mika wants to learn how to read and write. And the awkwardness of him trying to learn social manners, especially when it comes to his relationship with Kudelia, and to some extent, Atra.
The Scary part: when Mika fights, he is the most ruthless person you ever see on-screen, far more than any other Gundam protagonist. He can basically shoot you in the head without ever giving a flinch. I guess that's why some fans see Mikazuki as some sort of human guard dog where if given the word, he takes out the target quickly and very efficiently, all while still looking like a badass.
IBO may not be a definitive Gundam series for fans of the franchise. And it's certainly not a perfect show as it has quite a number of flaws. But for what it's worth it is far more interesting than the other stand-alone Gundams out there. Besides, the series is only in its first season and another one is coming up this October, so there is plenty of chances the show can improve itself.
As far as the first season goes, in spite of its flaws, it's still a great series to watch. If you are new to the Gundam franchise, go ahead and check it out. If you are die-hard Gundam fan, your tastes may vary. Personally, again, it's a great show so far and I am looking forward to its 2nd Season, as well as its future involvement in the Super Robot Wars, G-Generation, and the Gundam Vs games. On the scale of 1 to 5, I give the first season of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, a 4 out of 5.
The English dub of Iron-Blooded Orphans is airing right now on Adult Swim's Toonami block on Cartoon Network in the US. Check your local listings. If you prefer the subtitled version, for US viewers, you can catch all 25 episodes on Daisuki.net, Crunchyroll, and the official FUNimation website.
No comments:
Post a Comment