KIDOU SENSHI GUNDAM: TEKKETSU NO ORPHANS 2

DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME ActionKidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans
MANGA ActionKidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans II

REVIEWS

• 

  Revisionary

  56/100
  A highly disappointing followup to the first season that manages to miss everything that made it great to begin with.

  The second season of Iron-Blooded Orphans is a disjointed sequel that is disappointing to say the least. None of the emotional weight that the first season carried managed to make its weight into the second season. Rather than being a meaningful continuation of a remarkable series, IBO S2 ends up becoming a predictable series that at times can almost seem like a chore to watch.

  My biggest complaint would be the show’s attempts to generate an emotional response. In the first season, the audience was introduced to a group of battle-hardened child soldiers bent on forging their own path. And like almost any other story in the same vein, there is tragedy and death along the way. While this aspect of IBO continues on in the first season, IBO S2 suffers from the problem of creating tragedy for the sake of tragedy.

  And yes, this is Iron-Blooded Orphans, so expect protagonists to die as well.

  Whereas the first season had Tekkadan members die in order to create meaningful plot development, the second season feels rather empty when it comes to its attempt at creating emotional and poignant events.

  For instance, when characters die, their deaths cease to have an impact beyond the scope of maybe one or two episodes after.

  Another problem would be the way Tekkadan’s growth as a mercenary outfit is handled. The boss, Orga, constantly doubts his own ability to lead. And although this is a very logical flaw to have in a character thrust in an unfriendly world, it becomes rather annoying when these flaws are mentioned in almost every single episode. Many of the great characters of Tekkadan have become relegated to being tools for the writers to directly tell the audience how Orga is developing as a character.

  Character development should be implicit, rather than directly stated. We don’t need characters literally laying it out for the audience in order for us to see that characters have changed. We don’t need three minutes of dialogue about how the crew members think that so-and-so has changed as a person. That’s just lazy writing if anything.

  So basically, if you thought Eugene was a great character in the first season, prepare to be disappointed. His main role is going to be simply reminding you of how Orga’s changing as a leader.

  Finally, a huge problem I noticed was how plot twists or surprises seem either artificial and / or obvious. You’ll notice what I mean as soon as the character of Vidar is introduced. If you are seriously surprised to find out who he is later on in the season, then you are really not paying any attention.

  I really wished the second season could live up to the high standards of the first, but alas, that is not the case.

  Continue on AniList
• 

  Swanmay

  50/100
  For the love of God, new viewer, stop at season 1

  IBO Season 2 is notorious in the Gundam fan community. If Gundam Seed Destiny had not captured the gold medal for "biggest fuckup in history", IBO S2 could easily take the crown. Every positive to S1, is gone in S2. This review will include spoilers. Please, take it on faith, do not watch season 2 and keep reading. If you can't take that on faith, watch season 2 and join me in the suffering pit.

  Starting off with the lighter stuff, let me start with the positives. One, they did not cop out on the implied ending that has been apparent since season 1. Almost every named character in Tekkadan will die, horribly, because they are an underdog that stopped being underestimated. Despite the big fat meme about Orga's death being goofy, everyone who committed war crimes in Tekkadan will get their comeuppance. The fantasy that this team of young boys living by the sword will beat the man and save space, is not happening. They will be crushed by the hierarchy, and their death throes will be heard by no-one. Only the existing power structure, deciding to fix itself, will cause positive change in space. This is totally in step with the setting, the tone, and everything else. You'll occasionally hear people complaining that the big bad meanie general guy didn't get his comeuppance. That's the point. This setting is supposed to be semi-realistic, and that is absolutely in the fantasy department. Item two, is the worldbuilding added by season 2. The fun-but-dumb mobile armor hunt arc vastly expands the world of IBO, so that we can all now pang for an OVA exploring the Calamity War that so names the setting. It sounds like the One Year War on steroids, in the best way. The fight itself, is pretty fun, and the concept that Mikazuki is becoming increasingly physically dependent on Barbatos to function is fitting of the setting. So, onto the bad.

  On the negative side, most everything else. Characters, pacing, narrative, twists, suit design, storyboarding... it's an across the board drop from season one. Instead of tediously explaining how each one of these things is a mess, let's laser in on one example that demonstrates all of these things: McGillis' finale. Whereas the Tekkadan sendoff is totally appropriate to the setting, this shit just leaves you scratching your head. Grand chessmaster McGillis, the architect of almost all of season 1 and 2, has invented a master plan to take total control of Gjallarhorn and restore liberty to space: after getting turned on by how hardcore Mikazuki is at murder, he concludes that activating and piloting a nostalgic artifact of Gjallarhorn will magically sway every single soldier to serve him. His grandmaster plan to completely upend the social order in space...is to steal one mobile suit and declare himself winner. He does this with a minor contingent of soldiers, a small mercenary band, and no political power beyond his own seat at the big boy's table. He proceeds to get the everloving shit kicked out of him in every possible way, including his friend / adoptive brother getting to come back from the dead and kill him. He gets his suit, then everyone laughs at his dumb strategy and shoots at him. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how absurdly stupid this plan is. It is possibly the dumbest plan in Gundam history, possibly the dumbest serious plan I've ever seen in an anime. It permanently annihilates his character beyond any recovery. How is this paced? Very suddenly, because it is apparent there's a fight in the writer's room and they can't make up their minds. How is this storyboarded? I hope you like bright lights bumping into each other in the distance, because IBO is still struggling to manage its budget again. Want new suit designs? Too bad, there are still two skeletons available to any given mobile suit, and it's almost always the Valkyrie frame. Twist? The twist is that McGillis is a fucking idiot and apparently was lucky to get as far as he did.

  S2 IBO hurt me more than most shows do, but I can't go lower than 5. There's enough quality scattered in there that it's not TOO bad. Tekkadan's end, Orga getting delusions of grandeur, the escape of what few survived Tekkadan, the fun Armor fight, they keep you going to the end. IBO underperformed in merch sales and is widely mocked in Japan and parts of the western audience. The setting has been exiled to a mobile, presumably to never return. Which is a tragedy: IBO has possibly the best setting of any Gundam show, it's just terribly squandered on incompetent, feuding staff.

  Continue on AniList
• 

  Mikot0Misaka

  75/100
  IBO's Second Season has a story and a lesson to tell, and its still worth a watch.

  _"Let's go, to the place where we belong."_

  Season 2's story and ending has often been discussed as something of inferior to Season 1's ending, and it may seem so, because of the haphazard storytelling. Nonetheless, as an overall thematic ending, I do think IBO has succeeded, and even if the presentation was subpar, its still a tale worth watching.

  Firstly, I'll start off by saying that this review won't be that of a strict review, but more of a reflection of how I felt about it. As a newcomer to the Gundam Series, I do feel that this series stands well as a very character-driven story that emotionally hits the audience, but you do need to take some time to consider the perspectives of the various characters.

  As implied in Season 1's events, this is not a story where our cast will leave with what they earned, nor will they seek the riches and glory they hoped to gain. People will die along the way, and the characters will shoulder the consequences of their actions.

  Spoilers Ahead :
  

  -
  Much like your classic Greek tragedy, this is very much a story where excessive pride leads to the fall of its main characters. We see Orga Itsuka, leader of Tekkadan lose sight of what he sought to accomplish. Seeking a place for his family to live in a world where they would no longer be oppressed, Orga actually achieved what he wanted by the events of Edmonton. A place within Teiwaz and better conditions for his comrades, he is blinded by what he could achieve if he kept going. Yet, the problem lay with how we went about it, and not with the fact that he sought more in the first place. Tempted by the drive to become the King of Mars, he sets a collision course for his family and for himself by going for his goal in the "shortest way possible", something that is continuously highlighted to him throughout the show. His decision to ally with McGillis in his decision to start a coup in Gjallarhorn definitely was the root of it, and his plain decision to risk it all with a dark horse was the root of it, and he paid for it with his life and that of many others in Tekkadan.

  Their reliance on violence and force to achieve what they seek, even when others may be possible, are the true reason for Tekkadan's demise, and it is deserved. Progressing through S2, Orga puts the lives of his comrades at risk for unnecessary reasons, despite the obvious odds standing against him. A merc group against the space police is a poor matchup, no matter how you put it. And he pays for it.

  From a more macro point of view, what made me like IBO was how it succeeds at making you feel like a member of the family that is Tekkadan. Most of not all of the deaths throughout the series hurt, and it shows how you've become attached to the people who are fighting for a better life for themself and their family.

  That said, there are problems. The handling of McGillis had potential, but it was executed in a disjointed way. His goal of cleansing Gjallarhorn of its corruption have so many problems I can't believe his plan was even thought through. Not to mention the addition of characters such as Hush who had potential but whose development was unclear to say the least. Don't get me started on Iok that said.

  The overall thematic ideas of IBO stand well despite these problems, but how it is handled was not as delicate as how it was in Season 2, and the rapid pacing to conclude such a complicated story is what hampers the success of the show and probably what led to the poor reviews and view of IBO as an overall failure. It wasn't and it shouldn't be disregarded as such.

  Continue on AniList

SIMILAR ANIMES YOU MAY LIKE

• ANIME

  ActionCode Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch R2
• ANIME

  ActionKakumeiki Valvrave
• ANIME

  ActionKakumeiki Valvrave 2
• ANIME

  ActionVINLAND SAGA
• ANIME

  ActionShingeki no Kyojin
• MOVIE

  ActionVapor Trail
• ANIME

  ActionAkame ga Kill!
• SPECIAL

  ActionShingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season - Kanketsu-hen Kouhen
• ANIME

  ActionGATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri 2
• ANIME

  ActionVINLAND SAGA SEASON 2
• ANIME

  ActionShingeki no Kyojin 2
• ANIME

  ActionFull Metal Panic! The Second Raid