Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

Episode 17

In this episode of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Kudelia has been through a lot, and that experience is beginning to manifest in her choices. This episode opens the show up far beyond Tekkadan, or even Teiwaz or Gjallarhorn, to the entire socio-political structure of the entire solar system in which Iron-Blooded Orphans takes place. Now Kudelia's—and Tekkadan's—actions are making waves on a universal scale. Add Gundam battles back into the mix, and you've got a powerful and memorable episode that echoes some of the Gundam universe's most credible characters while kicking the story up a notch.

Navona Mingo is dead, but the rebellion he organized is only beginning. It helps that Gjallarhorn clearly wants this worker uprising to occur, taking actions that do nothing but stoke the flames, because this universal power has an ace up its sleeve. It doesn't matter that workers all over Dort 1, 4, and 5 are taking their mobile workers into battle, because Gjallarhorn has put some sort of DRM on them that prevents workers from rising against them in a perfect metaphor for why I'm really not into iTunes. "Counterattack? More like a massacre,” Bauduin remarks. Even though he's one of the elite who benefits from Gjallarhorn's rule, he feels free to criticize it. It makes me wonder how McGillis's opinion has changed since he's put on the mask. (It's a shame that they've been teasing this masked man for so long without showing him very much.)

This situation has escalated far beyond anything Tekkadan could have imagined when they stopped by the sleepy colony cluster to do a routine supply delivery, and Orga's first impulse is to stay out of it, insisting that their job is to escort Kudelia to Earth. That's when Kudelia changes the game. "It wasn't just Mars," she realizes. “The people here were also oppressed, stepped on and killed. If I can't save them no one will listen to my words,” she says, pleading with everyone to stay with her and fight. This is when a pretty unusual exchange occurs between Orga and Mikazuki—Orga asks Mikazuki what he thinks they should do. Usually, Mikazuki is the one who follows Orga's orders without a word, and it's clear that the events on Dort, especially Atra's kidnapping, have given Mikazuki something to say for himself. Although he prefaces it with a vow to defer to Orga, Mikazuki expresses his choice to stay and fight. Orga and Mika's changing friendship has been one of the most nuanced relationships of the show, and this isn't the first time I've wondered what would happen when Mikazuki grew a will of his own. It's a lot less revolutionary than I expected, with Orga simply trusting in Mika's judgement.

"I want to become hope," Kudelia says, and in this episode, her wish takes form through mainstream media. Kudelia befriends some journalists, works something out with one of the bigwigs who controls the news, and gets them to film her speaking for the oppressed. The journalists, who feel controlled by Gjallarhorn (“So much for reporting the truth”) are thrilled to help. The Gundam pantheon has a rich history of subplots like these. From daring journalists like Fran Doll from Turn A Gundam and Gundam Seed Destiny's Miriallia Haw, to political leaders like Lacus Clyne from Gundam Seed, Relena Peacecraft from Gundam Wing, and Gundam 00's Marina Ismail—it's fascinating that all these characters are female!—no re-balance of power is complete without a vivacious spokesperson to urge on and record the cause. Now, Kudelia is following in her predecessors' footsteps by using her privilege and good looks to support her cause of choice. As a wealthy rebellion leader in a Gundam show, Kudelia will never be immune to comparisons, and so far her sincerity and drive are standing up pretty well.

The highlight of this episode, as usual, is the Gundam battle. Mikazuki, Akihiro, and Ride have the opportunity to show their skills on a grand scale when they come to the defense of the rebel workers, and the musical score is reflectively brilliant. They actually have some worthy opponents in the form of Galileo “Gali Gali” Bauduin and Ein, fully fleshed out characters with their own motives and not-entirely reprehensible causes (unlike those pirates that I couldn't wait for Mika to murder). Orphans is at its best when it doesn't spoon-feed us what's right and wrong, telling a patchwork story of many different points of view. There haven't been enough Gundam battles lately and now that we're back in space, I hope this wild, suspenseful, and thoroughly musical choreography becomes our new normal.

Rating: A

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

Lauren writes about anime and journalism at Otaku Journalist.