Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Review

Synopsis: 
Over three hundred years after the disastrous Calamity War reshaped the entirety of the Earth Sphere, a group of spirited "human debris" - orphaned child soldiers forced to fight on the front lines of battle - decides to take its fate into its own hands. Forming the independent mercenary company Tekkadan, these "iron-blooded orphans," led by the dedicated Orga Itsuka and his brother-in-arms, pilot Mikazuki Augus, must walk a dangerous road, navigating political alliances, mafia-like associations, and the oppressive Gjallarhorn organization, in order to gain true freedom, whatever that may mean. 

Release Date:
2015-2017

Episodes:
50

Timeline:
P.D. 323-325

My Grade:
A-

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans is one of the many stand-alone Gundam series that take place outside the Universal Century canon. It's also the newest full-length series as of this writing (with Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury arriving later this year). Both of these attributes set the stage for a highly polished original story that should go over well with most modern audiences. IBO offers a complex and (mostly) endearing cast of characters, a unique story and setting, pulse-pounding action sequences, and plenty of dramatic moments to maintain viewers' interests, though its occasional cartoonishness can be off-putting given how otherwise serious the subject matter often is. 

Technically, our main character is the diminutive Mikazuki Augus, though he really comes as a pair with Orga Itsuka. The two are the founders of the Tekkadan mercenary company, which is composed almost entirely of teenage or younger war orphans. Immediately, IBO throws the viewer into one of its central themes with the portrayal of child soldiers. It's brutal stuff too - murder, death, and abuse are all at the forefront of these kids' lives, but in most cases they still manage to cling to their humanity and dreams by uniting together as an unusual and surprisingly upbeat family unit (unusual family units being another central theme which we'll revisit below). 

Mikazuki is often compared to Mobile Suit Gundam Wing's Heero Yuy, though I find Mika to be much more human. He may be aloof, even (or especially) when it comes to killing, but he's also loyal, gentle, a bit dopey, and kind to his friends, whereas Heero usually comes off as an unambiguous sociopath. Mika and Orga exist in a sort of symbiosis, with the former pledging his entire life to the latter's dream of taking them and their friends to a place where they can be free. Mika repeatedly asks his compatriot throughout the story, "Orga, what should I do next?" That answer often comes in the form of murdering Tekkadan's enemies, which Mika does without hesitation or regret, though he does incur an increasingly brutal physical toll for his actions over the course of the series. Meanwhile, Orga does his best to shoulder the emotional responsibility of ordering the killings and also sending his own men to their deaths on the battlefield. 

In addition to the interesting and entertaining extended Tekkadan roster, especially the kindly, strategically minded Biscuit and gruff soldier Akihiro (who bears more than a passing resemblance to Berserk's Guts), the main supporting characters are Kudelia and Atra. The former plays a critical ongoing and evolving role throughout the entire story, while the latter often feels extraneous and a little annoying, though she does have some impact by the end. The two come to be involved in a rather bizarre love triangle with Mikazuki, which I won't say too much about other than that it feels very improbable and inhuman. The age difference between these characters is a very confusing subject as well, with unofficial sources listing various conflicting ages for all three. Even if correct on paper, the feeling you get when watching the characters is that they're very young, which leaves a lingering feeling of discomfort when subjects like sex and pregnancy are brought up in the story. Speaking of which, don't get me started on McGillis and his child bride...

Then there are the Turbines, a para-military transport subsidiary of the much larger yakuza-like Teiwaz organization. With the exception of their leader Naze, the Turbines are an all-female group whose members have all been taken in under Naze's wing...and married to him. That's right, the Turbines are Naze's harem. Of course these refugees turned wives are mostly scantily clad hot young women with big boobs - not that I mind personally (I enjoy a bit of fan service as much as the next guy), but even I have to laugh at how on the nose this whole thing is. Don't get me wrong, these are really great characters, with Amida, Lafter, and Azee standing out as especially cool. However the Turbines' introduction represents a bigger ongoing series theme of polygyny which feels very odd. It's not that I have a problem with the writers exploring this subject per se, it's just that they portray it with virtually no human conflict between any of the characters involved in these relationships (e.g. jealousy, betrayal, possessiveness, etc.), which makes the them feel less like an unorthodox family and more like a cult. 

By sheer coincidence, the leader of the Turbines happens to dress like a pimp

One of the more interesting aspects of IBO is that there isn't really a central villain. There are definitely some characters like McGillis Fareed and Rustal Elion of the Gjallarhorn organization that act "villainous", but these guys have relatively understandable motives ranging from seeking revenge over past abuses to just doing their jobs (even if said jobs are in the service of an oppressive institution). None fall into the same territory as Char Aznable where he was initially portrayed as complex and sympathetic, only to suddenly decide that he wanted to murder billions of people. The various betrayals and machinations conducted by these characters are a delight to watch unfold. 

The visuals in IBO are bright and crisp, though one choice that I'm not crazy about is the character design. It's very cartoony and occasionally feels out of place in a series that otherwise treads fairly dark territory. The hairstyles in particular stand out as ridiculous and it's hard to take some of the characters seriously, such as Orga with his silly sideways spike or Atra with her Play-Doh-like locks. Beyond these complaints though, I do especially enjoy Mika's main look - when dressed in his overly baggy Tekkadan fatigues, he feels like he stepped straight out of Osamu Tezuka's sketchbook. 

The mecha designs are great and, if anything, a bit subdued compared to the over-the-top character models. I was initially a little underwhelmed, feeling that most of the mobile suits were a little cookie-cutter, but as the series progresses, some truly outstanding designs are introduced. The Barbatos is a stand-out modern Gundam model - its slimmer, streamlined silhouette gives it a lean, hungry look that amplifies its savage wolf-like ferocity. 

Action-wise, IBO is a tour de force, with incredible pulse-pounding sequences every few episodes. Uniquely, IBO features almost no energy weapons, with most fights using melee arms (often inspired by medieval gear like maces or lances) or rifles that shoot actual projectiles, contributing to a more grounded style of combat despite the fast pace. Many of the mobile suits here make use of what's called nanolaminate armor, which is a high-resistance coating that deflects damage. This is a great plot device, as it allows the mobile suits to engage in hard-hitting bouts without crumpling instantly. It also means that the common trope of grunt mobile suits being shredded in one hit by the hero robots does not happen very often - Mika has to work to take down enemy soldiers and when the Barbatos' mace finally crushes a mobile suit, you believe it because the storytellers communicated the weight and impact effectively. Even bullets bounce off most mobile suit armor with a satisfying ping, another example of the superb attention to detail on the creators' part. 

The plot has its ups and downs, with the season one finale and the mobile armor mini-arc coming to mind as especially riveting, while in a few other instances things feel overly slow. However, I want to mention that the conclusion of the series is one of those rare instances when the writers manage to stick the landing. It's an unusual ending that I will not spoil; I will only say that it perfectly reflects the themes and actions of the characters in a bittersweet, surprising, and satisfying manner, leaving an already must-watch series with the sendoff its characters deserve.