Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

Episode 14

Never fear, for in the midst of a lackluster winter anime season, we still have Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans to anticipate each week. However, this week was not the strongest episode of the series, since anticipating was most of what we did, and payoffs were few and far between. Intrigue is building up in every character arc, but we're going to have to wait until next week to see where this cliffhanger is taking us.

The anticipation begins with a brand new opening sequence. It's not as immediately catchy as “Raise Your Flag” but it's already growing on me with its equally intense call to arms. The most notable part of the opening is a glimpse of a masked man with long, lavender hair. Who could he be? And yet, that voice in the introduction to next week's episode sounds very familiar. McGillis has already shown a lot of similarities to other Char characters, so I'm inclined to believe it's him in a wig, but I invite you to offer your own speculations.

The masked man didn't appear, but this episode was still an unmasking of Fumitan, Kudelia's stoic and dependable maid. Fumitan has long pulled the strings in Kudelia's character arc, serving as the voice of reason in the young scion's life. Now, any hints we may have received about Fumitan's individual interests have suddenly become painfully overt as we discover her role in a plot to martyr Kudelia, in order to further Mars' independence movement. It's Kudelia's innocent desire to go shopping that foils Fumitan's plans, but not before Fumitan nearly sabotages them herself with her conflicted feelings about Kudelia. Fumitan is hesitating right at the point when Kudelia is opening herself up to her maid most vulnerably, asking for advice about what a girl should do after she is kissed. It's the first time we see Fumitan laugh.

However, in stark contrast to Kudelia's girlish worries about romance is her shopping excursion. Kudelia isn't craving luxury designer goods, but rather a sensible trip to Space-Costco to get some good deals on clothes, detergent, and cleaning supplies in bulk. Fumitan, Atra, Mikazuki, and Biscuit join, leading to Biscuit's surprising revelation about an older brother named Cake, I mean, Savarin (which is also a pastry), who works on the very colony they're visiting. Here's where things start to unravel. Biscuit's brother is working to foil the very rebellion Fumitan is a part of, unbeknownst to any of our lead characters. Meanwhile, things get ugly quick on the other colony, where Orga is overseeing a delivery. He has unwittingly delivered weapons to disgruntled Space-Costco employees, who appear to also be part of the Mars Rebellion. Suddenly, all the chess pieces appear to be laid out, and the biggest surprise of the episode is the discovery that it's not only Kudelia, but all of Tekkadan, that is being used.

The universe of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans is one where the same types of injustice repeat themselves, whether on Mars or in Earth's colonies. But while Mars is a lawless Wild West, Gjallarhorn polices the colonies more closely, and Tekkadan could very quickly find themselves ensnared in a net too big for their scrappy band to escape from. It's a lot of setup with no payoff just yet, so we're left hanging, wondering how they'll get out of this one.

Rating: B

Lauren writes about anime and journalism at Otaku Journalist.

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