Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

Hopefully Azee and Echo don't start feeling like waxing poetically about their backstories anytime soon.

You know who hasn't been much of a thing this season? Kudelia. Her existence is consistently acknowledged, but it feels like she's just there to remind us she exists because she was such an important character last season.

Your preferences are not everyone else's preferences.

I think the remaining Turbines are more or less effectively written out of the show at this point.

You see, I've enjoyed this season as whole because it's been exploring the cause and effect Tekkadan has been having on the world around them.

edited 29th Jan '17 5:26:35 PM by Lionheart0

If there's any solace we can take, its that if Akihiro doesn't die in his coming blood rage he is all but guaranteed to survive the series. Because surviving while everyone he cares for dies is the more cruel fate, and being Akihiro is suffering.

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Alternatively his Gundam will get a upgrade to wield a large hunk of steel, much too large to be properly called a sword.

So, swiping the swordmace?

You deliberately skipped over the reference didn't you

In that case it could have been worse. He could have been forced to watch Jasley rape Lafter instead of the man just killing her and sending him into a blood rage.

Considering Jasley that was something that really could have been on the cards.

I guess that the next time Atra's baby gag come back, it will be the last conflict. We prabably learn that its no longer just a gag, and The Reveal will be right on the time to remove Mika's Plot Armor in final battle.

...Yowza, that was brutal. If anything, Tekkadan should exact revenge Capone-style by posing as Gjallarhorn and gunning them all down.

So, Mika getting fully absorbed into Barbatos only for the Gundam Frame to be destroyed in a climactic battle with a revived MA?

edited 30th Jan '17 1:35:26 AM by RocketDude

"Hipsters: the most dangerous gang in the US." - Pacific Mackerel

Gotta say, it's rare for Gundam to kill off a major character with no last words whatsoever.

Well, I think that was the first time IBO actually caught me by surprise. They've telegraphed things pretty heavily so far, and the only swerves were when the telegraphed stuff didn't actually happen (like everyone who expected a major body count at the end of season one). Most of that didn't really phase me, because when they're setting something up, deliberately subverting those expectations is always a possibility.

This one, though — no build up, no telegraphing, just bam. I honestly expected Lafter to jump ship and join Tekkadan permanently. The fact that she didn't was a surprise (though a pleasant one, I actually think it was a good decision on her part), then her death was completely out of left field. The fact that everything else was foreshadowed so heavily made this one's complete lack of it way more effective. (Though now that I think about it, she did get the same basic backstory exposition as a lot of other characters did just before their brushes with death.)

That said, I also think this is the first time Orga's making a strategic error. He can't let Jasley go, so he decides to cut ties with Teiwaz in order to murder him. The smart play would be to get him in a political bind the same way he did for Naze — either have McGillis go after him for something (on a trumped-up charge if necessary), or go to McMurdo with evidence of Jasley's betrayal (provided by McGillis). McMurdo seems like a reasonable guy on the whole, I don't think he'd have a problem signing off on Orga's murdering Jasley if he had evidence that Jalsey was undermining Teiwaz.

He did mention getting evidence that Jasley and Iok were working together, so maybe he's going for an "ask forgiveness rather than permission" situation. He's going to hit Jasley and deal with him first, then try to justify himself to McMurdo, and his confirmation with McGillis is just preparing for the worst case scenario. We'll have to wait and see.

Speaking of, I'm interested to see who McGillis's visitors are. I really want to see what he's got planned for taking over Gjallarhorn. Once that kicks off, we're really moving into the last arc of the series.

Final thoughts: I kinda want a >:| teddy bear now.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.

So Nobunaga Shimazaki, Iok's VA, is also the Japanese dub voice of Joffrey Baratheon. Well then.

What's precedent ever done for us?

I agree with you Native Jovian, that it feels like Orga is making a mistake. I think the only thing that makes me feel he really has no choice is the seeming urgency of Jalsey's upping his timetable to take over Teiwaz. On the one hand, Orga doesn't know this, and we don't know what sort of counters Mc Murdo has in place that Jalsey over-confidently isn't expecting. Either way it seems the plot is pushing Tekkadan to fight Teiwaz.

Hopefully perhaps, realizing Jalsey's intents, Mc Murdo authorizes anyone loyal to HIM, back up Tekkadan and fuck Jalsey up, they can hash out apologies later like you theorize.

Fly Gundam! Autobots ROLL OUT! COWABUNGA/BOOYAKASHA!!

Zeta Gundam was kind of cruel that way.

Remember that the reason they don't pick fight with Jasley at funeral is to respect Naze's decision: so they (Tekkadan) would stay out of it, and Turbine girls would be safe under McMurdo.

Assasinate Lafter mean the latter point is now mooted, and it's clearly a provocation (read: a threat that Jasley will kill more girl until he get what he want). Mistake or not, Orga doesn't has much choice.

On the bright side (as minor as it is), McMurdo is already aware that Jasley may has his hand in this whole mess (and as noted, Jasley purpose to takeover the Turbine girls is not subtle at all). So while openly attack Jasley would be too much to keep Tekkadan under Teiwaz, he may simply disown them without further hostility.

Funny, I thought most of us would be aware that Lafter won't survive the moment she bid goodbye to Akihiro (with note that they'll meet again in line of work). What would really catch us surprise is that it happen minutes later, not episode. It's among the finest examples of Tropes Are Not Bad: you see the trope and know what is going to happen, it even play straight, but the timing and execution are still catch you surprise.

edited 30th Jan '17 8:35:13 PM by Kuruni

I think it also helps that Lafter bit the bullet in the most un-Gundam way.

GBF become meta-level heartwarmer.

I'm not saying it's a mistake to go after Jasley, I'm saying it was a mistaken to immediately resort to violence. The smart move would have been to work together with McGillis in order to undercut Jasley the same way Iok did to Naze. Orga clearly isn't ignorant of the political aspects of the whole thing (since he realizes he may end up on Teiwaz's bad side, and had the foresight to double-check that that was okay with McGillis), but he's still going for a combat solution instead of a political one.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.

I mean, if they still don't react, Jasley will just escalate his provocations further, and more Turbines will die. It might not be the "best" course of action from a cold, detached, risk-assessment standpoint, but they can hardly do anything else.

And that's the point why I said "a threat", Jasley proved that he isn't above killing those girls. Jasley can wait as long as he want because Naze didn't send assassin after his goons (and he might still not care unless that assassin break in his meeting place).

Waiting is indeed smarter move, but I'm not sure if it will be "better in long run". It mean Orga must be cold enough to abandon what's left of Naze's family. Plus, it's Lafter. She's so close to the group that they may think of her as part of the family too.

Thank to your post, I actually give some thought and I think I find the direction. We saw Tekkadan from rag to rich in S1, but S2 is how they go back to rag.

S1, they goes from what's left of CGS, using whatever equipments available. Then they join Teiwaz with Turbines as supporter, and finally gain connection with Abrau and even has Earth branch.

S2, first few episodes continue to build up their success with their defeat the Dawn's Horizon and even gain what would be stable source of income with half-metal mine. But then they have to close Earth branch (gone with it is connection with Abrau), and now Turbines is gone and they're going to leave Teiwaz. They're almost pushed back to where they used to be, just with more resource.

Well, I won't surprise if the last part will go back to where it's start. That mean Kudelia will get more screen again and it will be time to deal with Nobliss, to wrap-up the story.

edited 31st Jan '17 9:10:41 AM by Kuruni

I never said that they should wait and not react immediately. I said they should react politically rather than physically. Like, say, have McGillis pass them intel showing that Jasley was working with Iok, and then give that information to McMurdo. Then McMurdo would either take care of Jasley himself, or give his blessing to Tekkadan so they can do it. Alternatively, have McGillis trump up some charges against Jasley and use Gjallarhorn to take him out, without involving Teiwaz or Tekkadan at all.

He has options besides "immediately murder Jasley personally" and "eventual revenge against Jasley after long delay".

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.

Ya'know given Jalsey's rather unsubtle actions; I think it's easy to see why someone like him despite his high standing in Teiwaz is overlooked by Mc Murdo in favor of Naze. From what I can gather Jalsey's been with the organization a long time, even longer than Naze from what we saw in flashbacks. Yet he's not the next one up for Underboss under Mc Murdo, wonder why?

Well Mc Murdo comes off as a tough and classy ruthless sort, but he has standards, is personable and respects those who show politeness, restraint and have a true sense of loyalty.

Jalsey never really has that; his loyalty comes off as 'token lip service', he's crass and sees his underlings as just that, underlings, lapdogs and tools. His disregard of the Turbines girls and inability to understand how Naze values them as people and not just sex objects or cannon fodder; and his own referring that the jobs Tekkadan does is 'underling work' shows his disregard for anyone under him and a lack of scruples Mc Murdo probably frowns on. Hell he called Jalsey on his hypocrisy of bitching about letting Tekkadan fight the Dawn Horizon Corps and get all the credit when he wasn't willing to do the job himself (that's for underlings) but Orga was out there putting himself in danger as much as the rest of his crew, much like Naze would. Mc Murdo respects that.

Yet his organization obviously does well enough within Teiwaz and he obviously has influence so Mc Murdo never really pays him much mind; though he's probably regretting it. Maybe he never really gave Jalsey a smack to the head was a sort of 'you're an adult figure out how stupid you're being yourself' kind of stealth mentor-ish vibe, or just how hands-off Mc Murdo can be so long as his organizations show results.

Maybe Jalsey's just gotten bolder because he sees it as 'his time to shine' with his blatantly coming to Mc Murdo after Lafter's killed and insisted the girls be turned over to him; and his and his underling's open disrespect at Naze and Amida's funeral. Most Mob Families and Syndicates would have taken him and his two thugs to the airlock and spaced them for such disrespect. If not made a more creative example like telling Jalsey to cut out his men's 'disrespectful tongues' or his gets removed as well; etc.

Back on point; it's ironic if Jalsey had the power of self-reflection he could see why he's been passed over as Mc Murdo's favorite; and how his smug, hypocritical views (his bad mouthing Tekkadan for working with Mc Gillis and yet he throws in with Iok because it serves him).... I don't think I need to go on?

If Mc Murdo and Jalsey have a final confrontation I'd like to see mcMurdo not just disown him; but also tell him point-for-point he's always going to be second rate to Naze and the 'Space Rats' he detests so much.

Then cue Gusion Full City crushing the prick, while Barbatos Rex is ripping apart any support Iok sends Jalsey. Good times.

Fly Gundam! Autobots ROLL OUT! COWABUNGA/BOOYAKASHA!!

It will take time to investigate (long delay), and while Iok may be dumb enough, Jasley would at least contact him with private channel. Chance is that McGillis will find proof of Iok contact someone in Teiwaz (at best), but not enough to tell who it is. As noted, Jasley isn't even subtle with Lafter's assasination (just enough that there won't be solid proof against him). If McMurdo can't tell from it (he's likely not act because Jasley is Number 2 now), then that bit of info just won't make him grant his "blessing" either.

On frame him just like he did to Naze, that too require time to prepare (and unlike Idiok. McGillis isn't a kind of person who will leave trace to be used against him later...irony that you suggest Orga to be more detach, but expect McGillis to act with more passion). And you may forget that Iok is part of Arianrhod fleet under Rustal (but work on his own for this operation), McGillis is commander of Outer Earth Orbit Regulatory Joint Fleet. It's much harder for McGillis to pull the same trick when his authority is around Earth and Mard, but not outer space between that. And it may not work at all too, Turbine girls are Naze's family, Jasley's men are his mook.

Not to mention they just left Saisei, so all option they really have are "now" or "wait", no between.

edited 31st Jan '17 10:30:58 PM by Kuruni

It's worth remembering that they can simply say to McMurdo 'yo, the Turbine girls are in trouble, it's probably the Dominokolos faction, might want to turtle up', which would mean that they can set up their counterattack much more safely. I mean, guy's the head of a space mafia. Due process is not something he needs to concern himself with, and if he thinks people under his protection are in danger, he has near-unlimited resources to make them safe.

What's precedent ever done for us?

I'd be very surprised (and disappointed) if McMurdo doesn't already have an inkling that Jasley is measuring his back for a knife. McMurdo has been presented as a powerful and ruthless but scrupulously impartial mafia leader. If he is completely unaware of his minions' ambitions for his throne, then it'd really be a letdown at this point.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.