I'm glad this new arc of Iron-Blooded Orphans takes us away from Mika and the group on Mars and shifts its focus to Takaki Uno on Earth. Takaki is one of my favorite minor characters in the series, mainly due to his naive and effeminate persona. But given that he has a slightly manlier design now as opposed to from the last season, and that he is narrating this arc, it's an indication Takaki becomes a changed man by its end.
The episode is mostly just a build up to the next conflict that will take place on Earth, and with Mika's group so far away and will take weeks to arrive, Takaki is on his own and must lead the Earth branch of Tekkadan to a new war. This places Takaki's group in a very grave situation in which they are total underdogs with lack of any capable Mobile Suits against the opposing faction(s).
Worse, he is unaware that a member of Tekkadan is backstabbing them and leading them to the mess. You can say it's a Game of Thrones-like scenario, but in a Gundam show.
IBO is also one where it likes to tease a possible shipping between its male cast. One of course is between Yamagi Gilmerton and Norba Shino. In this arc, we see Aston Altland from last season showing a hint of affection towards Takaki, in addition to being extremely loyal and supportive to him. I have no problems with this and pretty much all for a homosexual couple in a Gundam franchise. I just wonder why Sunrise hasn't pushed it already, given the number of Yaoi and Yuri-themed Anime and Manga already out there.
We also have one moment where Mika shows a bit of concern towards Orga. We usually just see him follow orders from him without even flinching, but rarely we see him worry about his best friend/Superior Officer - even if the issue was his weight.
Finally, so far, the 2nd Season of IBO is showing more battles than the last season, which focuses heavily on building up Tekkadan and its team before getting into conflicts for several episodes - a complaint to some viewers of the show. So be happy we see more battles now. I'm still one of those who wishes none of the key Tekkadan members get killed off. Yes it makes Tekkadan one-sided in terms of the overall conflict, but I've formed an attachment to them and it would be gut-wrenching to have them go at this point.
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