Back into the fray.
What They Say:
Episode #26: “New Blood”
Mikazuki’s group, Tekkadan, has been commissioned to escort Kudelia on an inspection of a halfmetal mine. Under Tekkadan’s protection, she completes the inspection schedule without incident. But suddenly, Tekkadan finds itself under attack by space pirates.
The Review
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Some time has passed since the end of season one. How much time? I’m not sure, as some characters look older, some don’t, and some don’t even appear to have changed clothes. (Naze and girls, I’m looking at you.) The boys do look buffer, though, and yes we do see many shirtless because Tekkadan is back on mars and back to business.
Kudelia’s plan for a more independent Mars came true, but the cost was far more far-reaching than Tekkadan’s losses. A narration by Atra goes over all of the key points. Gjallarhorn lost much of its clout, and as a result an escalation of forces elsewhere began. Instead of fewer child soldiers, PMC’s started hiring more. Old mobile suits have also been refitted and modernized. Even Tekkadan is taking in more new, young recruits. Change certainly doesn’t happen overnight, and sometimes not in the way you’d hope.
What’s surprising is that nearly everyone who was still alive at the end of season one is back in this episode. Even those people who I thought would bounce, mainly Merrybit and the accountant guy. It’s largely a game of who’s who through the majority of this episode as the show takes great lengths to show us where they placed all the pieces before the battle can begin.
Gjallarhorn has had a restructuring near the top. McGillis is now the head of his branch of the seven stars and has a new lackey under him. However, things aren’t exactly progressing at the rate he would want them to either. He butts heads with the other members of the board and we meet the new side standing against him. They look like an interesting bunch, especially the girl pilot who eats a butterfly, but between the flurry of introductions the finer points of the conversation were lost on me.
Kudelia has gotten better at dealing with the delicate web of politics, but you can tell she’s stressed by the lack of progression. She remains the target of those trying to make a name for themselves. Now she has the foresight to see trouble coming, and the support network to back her up.
Back on Mars Orga has been spending more time behind a desk than behind the controls of a mobile worker. Eugene is now considered second in command, which is deserving after his heroics at the end of the last season. Mika is a unit commander, still answering to Orga for every command. There’s a sense of listlessness when the group isn’t under fire. Mika especially kinda just floats through his scenes until he’s ordered to go get Barbartos in drydock. Once strapped back in his right arm and eye become active again and the cold-blooded soldier is back in his element.
As for the newbies, they are the typical young and untested scrubs who are in over their head. The lead new kid is some hardscrabble blond whose name I didn’t catch. When the new kids are called out to man a front line against an attack from one of Kudelia’s rival groups trying to interrupt her they balk and barely hold it together. Luckily, they have plenty of veterans to prop them up, and a few new recruits ready to go the extra mile. Yup, we’re already into a battle by the end of the episode. Gundam is back.
In Summary:
Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans season two hits the ground running. There are plenty of new faces and some surprising old ones to be reacquainted with. Much has changed in the world since season one, and this episode tries to catch the audience up as quickly as possible so it can get back to business. It’s almost too much to take in, and trying to keep track of all the new faces along with the old is going to be quite a task. There’s less splash in this returning episode, there’s no need to impress the returning audience at this point, and it doesn’t make the impact you’d expect a season premier to make. It’s still politics, scheming, and war… and Kudelia may have gotten some of her wishes, but at what cost? The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Episode Grade: B
Streamed by: Daisuki, Crunchyroll, Youtube, and Gundam.info in select regions.