Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

Episode 15

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans has taught us that there's nothing more important than protecting your family. Even so, how much can you trust your family? McGillis's mask is a metaphor for the overarching theme of this episode—that nobody is who they seem, even if you may feel like you know them very well.

Biscuit is thrilled to meet up with his brother after so many years, but Savarin is more excited to see Atra than Biscuit. We quickly learn that Savarin believes Atra is Kudelia, a mistake that Atra is more than willing to go along with. Thanks to Savarin, Atra is brutally tortured by Gjallarhorn soldiers who think she is somebody else. I've never felt more for Atra than when I saw her bloodied face, selflessly inquiring if Kudelia was safe. Even when she's clearly in pain, all she can think about is Kudelia's welfare because “Kudelia is family.” Likewise, Mikazuki is equally loyal, turning into a one-man tracking team when he catches wind that Atra and Biscuit are in trouble. When he sees Atra, he's ready to murder somebody, and the only reason he doesn't is because there isn't any time. Tekkadan's communal bonds have become a lot warmer than even those of people who have been family for much longer in this show. This scene serves to confirm Atra's sainthood, but it doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know.

Atra is a devoted sister to Kudelia, who isn't even her own blood, and Savarin is the complete opposite. We learn from Navona Mingo, the slum-dwelling union leader, that Savarin is the only slum-born kid who managed to become upwardly mobile, and “he must have his reasons.” If he does, his priorities are completely out of whack. He will do anything to appease his superiors at Gjallarhorn. Even when Biscuit informs him that he's got the wrong girl, Savarin is ready to let Atra go to her fate, say that “being the wrong person is a trivial issue”. His little brother begins to question if he's even sane. As the viewer, it's pretty easy not to care in the slightest about Savarin, because we never even knew he existed before Biscuit mentioned him in episode 14. It'd be a far greater blow to the viewer if Cookie or Cracker had mentioned him before. (Or if Cookie or Cracker had betrayed Biscuit!) Instead, this subplot just made me angry with Biscuit for trusting a man who's more stranger than family.

Fumitan's betrayal is far more shocking and hurtful. We've known Fumitan since the series began, and unlike Savarin, she is deeply conflicted about whether or not to betray her family, making her feel more human. It's a powerful moment when Kudelia thinks only of how she can protect people, because “I don't want to betray Atra, Tekkadan, or you (Fumitan).” Even when Fumitan tells Kudelia that she despises her honest eyes, which are still capable of hoping for better things, Kudelia doesn't think to suspect her until Masked McGillis flat out says she's part of a plot against her, and it's only then that we realize nobody has all the pieces of the puzzle—except for him. In this complicated political plot where some are being deceived and others are claiming to be people they aren't, only Masked McGillis seems to get what's going on. (Why is McGillis wearing a mask anyway? The only reason I can come up with is "because this is a Gundam series.") He knows that Gjallarhorn is trying to suppress unhappy workers on Dort (can that “End Worker Oppression" graffiti get any more overt?) and he knows that Fumitan is working for Nobliss Gordon, the naked sauna guy at the beginning of the episode who hopes to launch a worker revolution. Only McGillis knows that everyone except Tekkadan has the same goal, and that's to murder Kudelia, either to suppress or ignite a revolution.

By the end of this episode of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, all the wheels are in motion. Everything is happening very quickly, but I can't help but feel that some of it felt rather forced—especially Biscuit's sudden, horrible brother. Time to get back to the ship and solve this big, complicated problem with the weapon we haven't seen for a while: the Gundam.

Rating: B

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans is available streaming at Daisuki.net and Funimation.com.

Lauren writes about anime and journalism at Otaku Journalist.