English Dub Review: Mobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans “Battle for Chryse”

Trans-Flauros! More than meets the eye!

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Mikazuki checks if Ride is okay, but then notices some odd reactions from Barbatos that give him a nosebleed. The guys try holding the line against the Mobile Armor and its Plumas but can’t seem to get it come towards them. Akihiro tries taking it head on but getting too close causes the same nosebleed. Well, that settles it, this Mobile Armor must be the mecha equivalent of an anime panty shot. But it’s time for the Virgin Akihiro to step aside for the Chad…Chad (is that meme already too old?) as Chad steps in, finally getting the thing’s attention. Though without their two Gundams, they’re down both their aces. If only they had a third…

Nearby, Vidar leaves McGillis with some cryptic not-obvious-hint-at-his-identity dialogue before heading back to Julieta briefing Iok on the plan to get out of there. But seems there’s still just a bit more stupid left ring out of him, as he decides to jet off back into the fray. Iok Kujan: the Tide Pod Challenge if it was a person.

Back with Tekkaden, Akihiro is nosebleed out, and Mikazuki is puzzled about why Barbatos won’t move in front of the Armor. In comes Exposition Zack to inform us of the reason. The Gundam Frames are designed to turn it up to eleven against the Mobile Armors but are at odds with the Alaya-Vijnana system built in to protect the pilots, which means letting the Gundams lose might kill pilots in the process. This is tough, but at least the ambush is working, leading the Armor right to where they want it…

…until Iok distracts the thing again and alerts it, getting it to speed up and plow through the defensive line. Okay, we can salvage this. Everyone’s going to die, but at least we can watch Iok die first!…

…unless Julieta picks him up at the last minute. Dammit.

Well, the plan is in shambles, the Gundams won’t move, Tekkaden’s hubris has doomed Mars, and the prom’s tomorrow. So, you know what we need? A scene between Atra and Kudelia about how much they like Mikazuki! Sorry ladies, but I don’t see him holding hands with YOU in the opening credits.

There IS one last hope: The Gundam Flauros. It can separate the Armor from the Plumas from a distance, but then it’ll be the last stand with only half of their suits still functioning, and that means relying on McGillis to lay the finishing blow. But is this wasting their shot to truly be on equal footing with Gjallerhorn? They do need to save the people in Chryse, but will it be worth being permanently underneath McGillis’ boot forever? Mikazuki volunteers to get into the fray to prove their worth, but Orga won’t allow it for fear he might lose more than just an eye and a functioning arm.

Shino moves into position with the Flauros and takes the shot, destroying the Plumas, cornering the Armor, and setting the stage for the final fight with three factions chasing to get the kill…and they’re all completely demolished in less than a minute. All seems lost until Mikazuki arrives in Barbatos just in time. He does that a lot.

OUR TAKE

To be perfectly honest, there’s not a whole lot new to cover here since this is basically the middle part of a three-part action scene. Mobile Armors are cryptic, Vidar is the worst kept twist since Rosebud, Iok is just the worst, etc.

However, one of the more apparent details in this episode than last time is the emphasis on the evolving relationship between Tekkaden and McGillis. They’ve been growing closer since the beginning of the season, but no matter who kills this Mobile Armor and gets its loot, this is a real turning point. If McGillis gets the kill, he’s top dog and Tekkaden are his errand boys. If Tekkaden gets it, who knows what’ll happen, but probably nothing good. And if Rustal’s group gets it, they’re all screwed anyway. But honestly, considering the collective IQ of his team, I just don’t see Rustal accomplishing much in terms of longterm victory. I mean, watching almost every member of Tekkaden be brutally murdered seems more likely at this point.

I did have fun with the fast-paced action like I did last time, and I look forward to seeing it all come to a head next week as we wrap up the third quarter of the series.