Iron Blooded Orphans is the Most Realistic Gundam Series

[@ZarlLarlack]

Galeo killing mcgillis is legitimately my favorite emotional beat in gundam. The pain Galeo, feels as he realizes Mcgillis was always a broken child is just so incredible. Mcgillis's line about not knowing the difference between real and fake happiness is his entire character summed up.

[@PaszerDye]

I keep saying this, i'll say it again; McGilliss was a part of Tekkadan--an iron-blooded ophan in all but name.

[@ORLY911]

its that genuine belief he was doing the right thing that really sells it. And hey he def had a point, Gjallahorn was rotten and it needed to change, like griffith however, he was willing to cast away his friends and humanity which was his fatal mistake. In some regards he's a take on Macbeth.

[@thehotwindblowing]

IBO is still my personal favorite Gundam show for reasons you mentioned. In a way, however, I ended up enjoying Thunderbolt a lot specifically because of the sociopolitical nihilism. There were no grand commentaries or political soapboxes, just the grim acceptance of never-ending war which allows a focus on the personal struggles and rivalries of the pilots, especially for the first 'season'. I like how the anime cherishes aspects of both sides especially through music, without casting judgement for right or wrong.

[@dagon99]

You're going to love the manga.

[@TheBellman]

Thunderbolt has great action and I do like a Gundam series that dispenses with some of the weight.

[@fluffywolfo3663]

plus, the jazz is hella dope

[@mr.b89]

War in the pocket is my pick personally

[@markanthonyAno]

agreed.

[@dogdoggodog]

A socialist slave revolt Gundam series was something I never expected but profoundly adore.

[@dogdoggodog]

ps. I absolutely love your writing; I had planned on doing my first video essay on this exact anime/topic, but you've done it better than I ever could!

[@Kepora1]

It isn't socialist in any way, shape, or form.

[@TheBellman]

@@dogdoggodog I wouldn't say anything is socialist about IBO. It's generic politics in extremis The show is written in a deeply Marxist way, strictly insisting on a Materialist universe and course of history in contrast to most other Gundam series. But thats separable from any sense of leftist politics.

[@MarshmallowRadiation]

This is a very good and well-argued video that has nonetheless convinced me that IBO is not the gundam series for me. Art is subjective, and while yes, IBO is realistic and its themes are presented quite well, it doesn't feel as satisfying as a good Gundam story. IBO follows an arc of history, and a quite realistic (if unpleasant) one at that, but realism doesn't necessarily make for compelling storytelling. Imo, Gundam is at its best when it plays with ideas and ideologies like chess pieces, presenting perspectives and concepts in an almost mythopoetic way. War is the backdrop for this drama, but Gundam to me is not a "gritty war story"; it's a quasi-allegorical exploration of growing up in a broken, hostile world and yet carving out a piece of hope in it anyway. It's not really about child soldiers and the cost of war, it's using the perspective of children fighting an adult war as a lens to explore those themes of growing up and realizing that the world is not as we would like it to be. It's also about how that same frustration with the state of the world can lead to tragedy and even a worsening of said state if one isn't careful, and how important it is to move forward and strive for a better future anyway, disabused of naive notions of an easy and simple solution to the world's problems. And most importantly (to me), it's about encouraging the world to look beyond the cynical, utilitarian inevitability of conflict and realize that as an entire species and civilization, we too need to grow up and embrace the wider universe and the uncertain future, as scary and unknown as it may be. IBO, on the other hand, seems to take the themes of Gundam more literally. It's about war, history, politics, and child soldiers. It's a realistic tragedy not about the importance of hope, but about how hope can lead you astray. And while yes, that is an important thing to express, and it is a theme present in other Gundam media as well, the tragic aspects overshadow the cautious, mature-minded optimism that makes Gundam's themes work. It asks a question and tries to hammer that question in, despite that question and its possible answers having already been explored better (in my opinion) in other Gundam series. The end result is that it feels like IBO misses the mark for me, doubling down on the aspects of Gundam that I don't care about and discarding the aspects I do. It leans toward espousing the kind of jaded, complacent cynicism that the rest of Gundam as a franchise is intended to counteract. All this is to say, to each their own. For me, my favorite Gundam story is still going to be the original run of Crossbone.

[@suspiciouscheese4518]

I’m kind of in the same boat, but I still love IBO. I think it’s a fantastic show, and a fantastic mecha show. It’s just not very good at being a Gundam show by the very fact that it is written as a subversion to just about everything Gundam has been prior to it.

[@epiclinksam9805]

IBO was always an interesting installment for me. There's a lot that it does that I like, and a lot that I don't. Like you mentioned, the entire story might be based around Tekkadan's perspective, but they're a small footnote compared to the rest of the setting. Unlike shows such as 0079, Zeta, ZZ, Char's Counterattack, X, SEED, SEED Destiny and 00, we're not following the heroes that will end the conflict. We're seeing children trying to find the place they belong, and the poor decisions of the one that leads them caused their eventual downfall. The mobile suit designs and weapons also add to this. Turn A Gundam has the haunting Moonlight Butterfly. SEED and SEED Destiny have the absolute light shows that are the various Freedom Gundams. 00 has the ethereal particles and bright red glow of the Trans-Am. G-Witch has the mysterious yet beautiful Permit Scores. IBO? Nothing but physical weaponry meant to tear through opponents. We don't even have the traditional beam weaponry that's iconic to the show for any of the mobile suits, being exclusive to the mobile armors. All the ranged weapons are physical projectiles. Even when Mikazuki unleashes the full power of Barbatos, there's nothing in the show that actually implies the red eyes of Barbatos are actually happening, maybe being only a visual effect for the viewers. IBO's ending might be bleak to some, but there's that small tiny footprint that Tekkadan left behind, causing a ripple effect that changed the world for the better. A lot of people tend to dismiss this and hate the ending solely because of how many major characters die, but I think the message that the show tries to tell is interesting to see. Do I wish some of Tekkadan's members got a happier ending? Yes I do, but I'm not upset with how the story ends.

[@D1MeursaultGLAZER]

The thing about barbatos and the red eyes is that's just mikazuki using a fraction of the actual gundam frames you can see in urdr hunt that the gundams constantly have red eyes and look more like monsters then the actual mobile armors

[@BrickmasterinKy]

Long time Gundam super fan and plastic crack addict here. I'm about 13 minutes in and I am really digging the analyzing on not just the main themes but between the lines too for the characters the setting and the franchise as a whole and where IBO fits into that. I love getting a different lens and catching the small details that I missed and not much usually escapes me. This is quality content that I will definitely tune into whenever I see you upload. Please add a way for us to support your work!

[@metalfest02]

I love IBO. Everyone is just trying to make their lot in life better, taking the best option they can get in every horrible situation.

[@alexbrown5928]

My Favourite Gundam is the alien in Men in Black

[@johnprice6271]

Alright, so let me explain my side of this. I got into Gundam through Witch. It was a bridge from AC6, I quite enjoyed it because it eased me into the themes of Gundam while still being familiar to a lot of standard anime. I liked it and it set a relatively good bar. Going from Witch to IBO felt like a kick to the balls followed up by one to the head. It doesn't tiptoe around the fights, it doesn't "mute" what happens to the pilots, and it certainly doesn't shy away from themes of self destruction. IBO is special in that- much like Witch, it's not your standard Gundam show. It takes that lovely little handle labeled "Brutality" and pushes it to it's fullest. By the end of the series, you know not everyone is making out of there.

[@fwra1234]

Always loved IBO, you hit a lot of stuff i missed when watching it. would like to hear your thoughts on witch of mercury, enjoyed the first half alot but less so the second

[@wolfiewoo3371]

It's because of IBO that I absolutely despise Witch from Mercury. I'm so tired of magic robots that solve all the world's problems because the protagonist believes in themselves hard enough.

[@fwra1234]

@@wolfiewoo3371 so true dude, the earth versus space conflict also didn't hit as hard speaking of child soldiers, igloo remains one of my fav in the franchise. wbu?

[@wolfiewoo3371]

@@fwra1234 I haven't seen igloo before. Is it good?

[@concon09090]

@@wolfiewoo3371 i still like G-Witch for what it was in the end but yeah, next to IBO you can really feel how saccharine and unchallenging its ending is. it just kinda dispenses with the nuanced and morally difficult earth v space conflict to focus solely on suletta's family drama, which like, i think was still well-written and interesting, but leaves the show feeling like it really pulled its punches, and is ultimately incomplete.

[@fwra1234]

@@concon09090 at the very least, i like to think it's a good intro to younger gen about the universe. i hear mecha as a genre is on the down also we got figure rise minori out of the series 🤝🤝

[@Shigeshajo]

So we’re not gonna talk about 08ms team?

[@somerandomschmuck2547]

Legitimately the first time I watched a gundam regularly. Honestly it was pretty great.

[@Appl3sandgrapes]

One of the things that makes me love IBO as much as I do is how to this day people still have very differing opinions on how it ended. I'm with you in a lot of ways; I think the ending, considering every decision the cast makes throughout the two seasons, is very good.

[@fluffywolfo3663]

I never noticed how the Seven Stars being so... well. _themselves..._ could be a commentary on Gundam's recurring idea that a bunch of hot-blooded people in mechs can solve any crisis and change the world. You can see Iok as the (il)logical extension of this lol - he's... a _decent(?)_ pilot and not much else XD In a lot of Gundam series, that's fine, but this is a gundam series where realpolitik is king.

[@91722854]

I cried watching it, the characters felt like the family members that I never had, I would be willing to fight in a Gundam and die for this family like Mika did, and probably got similar fighting styles too, give me a Gundam and into the IBO universe I go

[@Eladdan]

I liked Iron-Blooded Orphans, but I think 08th MS Team was more realistic.

[@concon09090]

kind of expected this video to be really annoying just based on the title, but i gotta say, while i have some disagreements with your takes on Newtypes and especially McGillis' character, i think this is really interesting. i think it especially gave me a lot more of an appreciation for season 1's complexity, which on a rewatch i've always thought of as the more conventional stuff i have to get through before the horrendous nightmare of season 2 (my beloved). IBO is a show that, if acknowledged at all in modern Gundam discussion, usually gets dismissed and shat on, so i'm always happy to see people taking it seriously and talking about the genuinely fascinating and intricate parts of it.

[@LoneWolfInsane]

yeah, i feel like half the stuff he said about McGillis was just stuff he made up by taking inspiration from senator armstrong. I don´t remember McGillis ever wanting anything close to creating a "might makes right. Rule off the strong. Everyone is always at war" world. If anything McGills was trying to overthrow the existing p.d.file military aristocracy through a claim to the "throne" by tradition, backed by military force. While his end goal for success would probably have been something like an absolute monarchy, that still would have been better then the existing p.d.file military aristocracy. What Rustal created in comparison to that is basically also just an absolute monarchy (backed by the military force of illegal weaponry) with an unelected leader at the top, that has also already decided who the next leader is going to be. It is democratic in name only. All the good Rustal did was just him sacrificing some of Gallarhorns power to increase and stabilize his own personal power. Which allowed mars to gain some independence and improve the living standards of their kids. Meanwhile kinds born in space still are treaded like objects.

[@HonestObserver]

Two random referential thoughts: 1. Failed political economies becoming aristocratic despotates… Dune??? 2. Hey wait is this sorta like Gundam set in a Disco Elysium type society

[@concon09090]

i know this video makes the case for Gjallarhorn as a kind of calcified Soviet command economy but tbh since playing DE i have not been able to unsee Gjallarhorn as Gundam's vision of the Moralintern

[@MrTigracho]

27:46 Tbh, we get to see like 30+ years of U.C. history. In IBO we only see 2 years of the settling. So who knows..

[@berkutsierra7887]

Ok so i generally agree, especially with IBO being underrated and how unfair it is to reduce it to "edge" when something like Wing is out there and tbh also 00 as you said. I think a lot of the edgy stuff in IBO works quite well, also the to me cringe-inducing romance stuff, it just fits with the tone and also with the fact that most of the characters involved are quite young and had very unhealthy upbringings. I also remember a specific thing that i found quite interesting: I remember this scene where Mikazuki is fighting one more brutal battle/massacre and the kids of the Tekkadan crew are like "we must witness this" and go to look at it, putting themselves into danger watching the senseless slaughter, and the show plays some sort of heroic piece of the OST. The juxtuposition of the soundtrack and what the characters imply about the situation with what is actually happening was pretty cool. My issue with the show is that towards the end, it gets increasingly hard to follow imo and it feels like the importance of the big bad robot vs the big good robot increases with the existance of Gael. Also the tangent with the mobile armors. When i was watching it think i actually thought they would pivot the show back to more classic gundam plots with the sceeming bad guy in the doom robot.

[@berkutsierra7887]

What IBO also does well is just characters, so many likeable main-characters and side-characters.

[@Keryaken133]

War in the pocket and 08th ms team are two of my favorite "realistic" gundam series, no newtype ms, pure mecha action and their movements are more like tanks rather than giant humans, much mroe realistic and the use of tactics and close quarters combat are a highlight.

[@LearningGabriel]

I sincerely appreciate that you (out of every god danged KZbinr out there) didn’t try to paint Tekkaden as the “villains” and Rustal Elion and the antagonists as the “heroes”. You can’t believe how much that take pisses me off considering how Rustal and Gjallerhorn itself are characterized in both season 1 and 2. And I find your take wildly refreshing. However I still find this series to be an unbridled disappointment because of all of the issues in its writing. It’s not that I hated that the show had a bittersweet ending. Even though I still find it bitter that Rustal, McGillis’ father, and Gjallerhorn itself get away with all of the crimes they committed. Rather it’s that the way that the writers got to that ending was executed quite poorly in my eyes. Characters on both sides, especially the antagonists, receive an unrealistic amount of plot armor more than half the time. People survive feats that we are shown earlier the series to be fatal. And yet they either walk away fine and dandy, or are in medical care for a short period of time and make a speedy recovery. The one exception to this is Mikazuki, but even then a lot of his plot armor feats are downright insane and impossible. Considering the mechanics of the story that have been set up before this. And one of the worst examples of this is Gaileo. To me at least there is no logical way that Gaileo or Zein’s brain survived season one considering 1.) Both of them were impaled in the cockpits of their mobile suits. 2.) Even if they didn’t die immediately (which I would consider to be impossible) their bodies would still be rotting on the battlefield hours if not days after their battles. And they would have died from blood loss. And 3.) Even if they did manage to survive such a fatal feat, having someone from Gjallerhorn obtain their bodies would be nearly impossible considering that Tekkaden and Makanai’s forces are in control of the area after the final battle of season one. Additionally and by all accounts, Rustal should have never won his first battle against Tekkaden and McGillis. But by the grace of IBO’s impeccable plot armor and dumbing down of the protagonists battle tactics and intelligence, he wins. There is no excuse for this. And the thought that he won because the themes you presented should not be an excuse for poor writing. One final note I have to say is that I disagree with you saying that McGillis was a bad person. An evil person maybe. But beyond redepmtion? No most definitely not. And I also disagree with how under his rule Gjallerhorn would dissolve into some kind of facsist dictatorship. I believe that he did have the same reformation intentions that Rustal later implemented out of his desperation to keep hold of his power. I believe instead that he was only using the fact that the ancient laws of Gjallerhorn said that anyone who pilots Bael would be sovereign of Gjallerhorn to reform Gjallerhorn into a democratic state. Really I personally feel like McGillis and Tekkaden were fighting for the exact thing that Rustal later implemented into Gjallerhorn. And unlike Tekkaden or Kudelia, Rustal didn’t do it out of the kindness of his heart. He did it because he wanted himself and Gjallerhorn to remain in power. Which I’m glad you pointed out. Then again I could be wrong about McGillis. I have to watch over the show again for a 5th time to confirm what you said is true or not. Nonetheless I appreciate your nuanced views of IBO and its characters. I find them wildly refreshing in a sea of bad and contextless takes such as “Tekkaden were the villains”, or worse “If Tekkaden won, mars would have been ruled by a group similar to the Taliban”. . . . . . (Yes someone actually said this). Even though I still find this series to be an unbridled disappointment.

[@TheBellman]

@@LearningGabriel Rustal had numbers and resources on his side, why should he have lost the first battle with the coup forces?

[@LearningGabriel]

@@TheBellman Why? Because the version of Orga Itsuka from season one would have had a better set of battle tactics and plans that he did in season two: this factors into what I said about characters being dumbed down. If Orga was as intelligent as he was in season one, he would have had shino shoot Rustal with the galaxy cannon from a safe distance. There is no need for Orga to send a ship as a distraction and a cover for Shino’s Flauros to shoot the cannon, when really he could have made an opening for Shino to shoot the cannon at the back of Tekkaden’s and McGillis’ fleet, or even out of range of Rustals fleet, it most likely would have hit considering that there is no force in space, invisible or otherwise, that can stop an object moving that fast. If Orga had Shino shoot the galaxy cannon from the start, he likely could have avoided all of the pointless bloodshed that took place. Secondarily, I personally find Julieta in the Julia somehow getting less than 3 seconds of time in the middle of her battle with Mikazuki in Barbatos (in which she is getting dominated and her mobile suit is being ripped apart), turning away from Mikazuki and throwing a spear at Shino in his Flauros while the destroyed ship he’s on is still moving utter ridiculous and plain bonkers to me. Considering how quick Mikazuki is, there is no reason why in that moment when she turned he shouldn’t have used his own mace, guns, or better yet his devil tale to stop her from even turning away. Let alone turn and throw a spear in less than 3 seconds. On a final note, considering how intelligent McGillis was in season one, I find it to be a major inconsistency that he didn’t have a back up or any contingency plan in case him piloting Bael didn’t automatically get all of Gjallerhorn on his side. McGillis in season one strategized Carta’s fall from Grace and eventual death, to Ein sacrificing himself to become fully integrated with three Alaya Vinjana system, to the eventual assisination of Gaileo. All of which he was able to cover up. Had it not been for Gaileo surviving by the grace of the writers. I have no doubt that version of him is both not the same version as in season two, and would have either won against Rustal or at least would have lasted longer.

[@TheBellman]

@@LearningGabriel First of all I really appreciate the engagement, this is why I enjoy running this channel, and thinking about this comment has actually expanded my thoughts on the series. This is just my opinion, but I think you are confusing the archetype of the characters and how they make you feel with who they actually are and what they actually demonstrate the ability to do. I get it, Orga is the inspiring great leader. But the main skill he demonstrates is the ability to pick his battles and break out of fights he can't win. When he's not getting bailed out by his political allies, he's either giving the slip to very unimaginative(Carta) or entirely incompetent opponents with superior numbers, or taking chances on wild gambits in fights against those who are more or less Tekkadan's equals (see their scrap with the Turbines, the Brewers, etc). Even if he fills the role of the genius great leader, has the vibes of that kind of character, at no point does he actually demonstrate some kind of tactical genius that that would let Tekkadan fight and win when up against dramatically superior forces with competent commanders like he's Yang Wen-Li. So it only tracks that when placed in an actual setpiece fleet battle (something he has limited experience in), the only thing Orga has in his playbook are the same kinds of desperate gimmick plays he used in every serious fight in season 1: headlong charges with remote controlled ships, chaff, and relying on the bravery and skill of his pilots and the superiority of their Gundams. He just didn't get lucky this time. The Danschlief have no real elaborated mechanics but Rustal Elion is both established to be smart and acutely aware that Tekkadan might use them, so it only makes sense that some kind of extreme gambit would be necessary to get into range of his flagship to even take the shot. I'd also note that it really is just wild wishful desperation at this point, Rustal Elion has other competent commanders in his camp (well, except for Iok) who are actually committed to the cause, and it's not like he's controlling the Arianrhod fleet with his psychic powers and they would necessarily collapse upon his death, it's only Mcgillis and Orga hoping that is the case, since their fleet is in collapse in a battle against an enemy which is quantitatively and qualitatively superior. Season 1 Orga makes better decisions. Like picking his battles and choosing reliable allies. In season 2, it is very clear from the text that he gets impatient/high on his own supply and chooses to make three quarters of Gjallarhorn his enemy by joining forces with Mcgillis, *which he was under no pressure to do*. He could have kept it cool and played it slow or even cut a deal with Elion under some circumstance. It's an understandable mistake to make, but it is, a fatal mistake, if you aren't confusing Orga for Simon the Digger and expecting him to overcome impossible odds. Same goes for Mcgillis. I get it, he has the trappings of a Char or a Lelouch or whoever. He's got a cool mask! He's a merciless scoundrel! But really, what's his best play? He rose to the top of Gjallarhorn hiercarchy from the challenging starting position of being the nominal son of one of it's leaders? He knows how to bribe and blackmail the most corrupt people in the system? Sending a suicidal dude to the front until he gets crippled? Managing to manipulate and betray two childhood friends who absolutely trust him and love him unconditionally? These aren't exactly genius plays. Mcgillis is absolutely ruthless, but at no point is it actually established that he's a genius or has a full lock on everything that's going on. How could he have a backup plan for people not rallying around Bael? That was already his desperation play because Rustal Elion had put him in check. I think the more interesting argument would be whether the strength of Rustal Elion and his cadre is actually sufficiently earned and established in the narrative. But I think it's not at all hard to understand why Tekkadan loses if you actually view the relevant characters for who they are and remember that this is a materialist universe where individuals might make history, but not in conditions of their choosing.

[@danielramsey6141]

@@TheBellman We often forget that his Best friend “Biscuit” was often strategically planning with Orga. He was his right hand, and his death in season 1 is what slowly made Orga more desperate and prone to rash Decision making.

[@berkutsierra7887]

Havent watched the video yet (will do so) but IBO is probably my favourite Gundam show, maybe with 8th MS team, but i hate how it falls off in the 2nd season when it kinda turns back into a "regular" gundam show imo.

[@TheBellman]

Yea the first ~half of the second season is a very low point.

[@wolfiewoo3371]

@@TheBellman I really like the first half of the second season. It was so nerve racking for me, and the whole time I was thinking about how these poor boys don't understand the larger powers that are using them or trying to get rid of them. It was great.

[@ninjammer726]

Please do a video essay on ssss gridman and ssss dynazenon from studio trigger 👘👹🎌🎌♨️🇯🇵🤤😋😛🤑🇯🇵😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭🇺🇸⛩️♨️

[@danielramsey6141]

Made a Comment some time ago on Bonsai Pop’s Video of IBO, especially in response to that video. As I did enjoy the Character arcs of McGillis and the Members of Tekkadan. But overall I had this argument to say about what made McGillis and Tekkadan the heroes at the end of the story. “These Guys Were the Heroes! Even McGILLIS was A Hero! It’s Just in order to Create a Better World, they Had to Sacrifice and Strive to MAKE THOSE DREAMS Possible! As Naive a Hope as that is, It ultimately Worked. Yes Rustal is still an ASSHOLE, but What McGillis And Tekkadan Did was Crush ALOT of Gjallohorne Infrastructure and Reserves! And it Didn’t help that One DUMBASS Member of Gjallohorne was Constantly Fucking Up Everyone’s Plans due to How Politically Ignorant He Was! So All RUSTAL could do was shift to Damage Control and hope that This would end with his Faction still able to function. Though it’s More than Clear that History Will Reveal in time that His Methods were Overblown! Why Would a Single Pilot Use an Illegal Weapon from McGillis Faction!? Leaks happen. And Speculation will always shift.” But yeah, I consider Rustal’s version of Gjallohorne to be on a Short Leash now seeing as how Most of the Senior members were in fact Corrupt, while most of their Younger replacements have either been killed, injured, or arrested for playing a part of corrupt military organization that showed willingness to serve Justice to the Child abusers in and around Mars. I also get that McGillis is not exempt from this, but I do think his actions (and personal trauma) ultimately contributed to breaking this Disgusting trend.

[@MrTigracho]

Interesting enough, the Japanese have an opposite reaction of what you said- they see Tekkedan as chaotic and somewhat villainous. They understand why they did it, but still think Tekkedan is in the wrong for the amount of destruction and suffering they triggered. This just show the different worldviews the West and Japan have. For the west, Tekkedan are freedom fighters who did nothing wrong. For Japan, Tekkedan only added fuel to the fire and got burnt and used in the process by smarter people.

[@LoneWolfInsane]

@@MrTigracho That´s probably because japanese society is very focused on social cohesion. Tekadan are a force that seek to destroy the present society of the setting, so japan would naturally see them as evil, even if that society is one of child sl*ve soldiers.

[@aninconsequentialobserver]

Started this show today. Also, when will we be getting Bellman's Top 20?

[@mspirits9911]

Love the video. Adding to it, in response to how other people determined how mcgillis action was foolish in the last part, I would compare it to a suicide bomber. He believed Bael's power unto the level of a religion, thus he just went with it without calculation. And the best thing was that audiences were also made believed that it would be the most powerful mobile suit, forgetting that it's just a mobile suit.

[@suspiciouscheese4518]

The biggest problem with IBO is that it presents itself as such an edgy power fantasy right out of the gate for the first three episodes that anyone a lot of people who wanted what it had to offer were turned away, and a lot of people who stayed didn’t enjoy the rest of the show. It doesn’t help that they put the name Gundam on it so a lot of people were too intimidated to start what they likely see as part of a One Piece sized anthology.

[@Misves]

I watched witch from mercury before IBO, and hated it. I fully intended to hate IBO too, but was pleasantly surprised. It really hits most of the right places for me. Both in terms of story and, especially, the space robots fighting stuff. Witch made fights a kids game, with impossible space magic and characters telling the audience why and how something we saw was actually skillful and amazing. In IBO you see when the strike was impactful, you can see when characters lose (because they often die). Even lasers were made into a tangible threat, unlike flying bullshit of instant win they were in witch. Story in witch was also just space magic. IBOs story is mostly grounded, it values its characters. It also commits to its morals. While witch tries to make every character justified, you cant convince me that a genocidal maniac is actually a poor, misunderstood victim. In IBO some people are just immoral fucks following their own agenda. That said, I was tired of subversion by the end. You just knew that in the end of every episode, every important story beat, there will be something that ruins it. First several times it was shocking, but by the time of orga's death it started to feel contrived. Last stand was amazing though, and they still had decency to not let Iok live through it Overall, I still feel that gundam series is too much anime/m³ for me

[@skabAroll]

Was pretty whatever on IBO, but Gundam Astaroth from one of the side stories is one of my favorite Gundam designs of all time and its a shame its stuck in side-story hell forever - I immediately bought the gunpla when It was announced which is very rare for me.

[@hobobeard]

While this is all apt and thoughtfully constructed and conveyed there is one little thing I’d like to point out. Don’t refer to the original series and/or its adaptations as “zero zero seventy nine”. Doing so just sounds inept and like you are trying to refer to something you are unfamiliar with. The term you are looking for, and the one which the Japanese fanbase and us old-heads eventually converged upon is “First Gundam”.

[@TheBellman]

@@hobobeard I primarily refer to it as "Mobile Suit Gundam" and only say 0079 to mix it up

[@marcosdheleno]

i disagree. both when it comes to technology and the world building. i would actually point to 2 UC side stories as the most realistic, war in the pocket, AND MSIGLOO S1 and S2.

[@Cocoricky1254]

I hate Rastal and Julieta They are most childish in my life (Angry) Did they even ask Why u want to be Beal ? Can I help you save your trauma? If they ask to help them I’m sure they wouldn’t fight each other I guess😢 They are only thinking about winning and cheating They didn’t earn the Credit They are also thinking not to get dirt their hand But Dirty smart brain. Yamazen (chief of maintenance ), Ein dalton , Gaelio ,Are nothing but the devils we hating it like villain in our example of humanity

[@somecomposingfudsa]

I like S1 of IBO; unfortunately S2 just becomes frustrating at least it lasted longer than WfM, which also has some criticism of capitalism and neo-colonialism in the form of the corporate wars and occupation of Earth. Unfortunately it doesn't have enough time to really explore the world but at least it does Suletta and Miomio justice by having them be married/engaged

[@Stavekoff]

yeah

[@imahoare4742]

I fucking loved the first season of IBO. the second season kinda throws everything on it's head and subverts the viewers expectations by making Tekkadan the guys who lived long enough to become the villains. The second season feels rushed and kinda disjointed but still good just for the subversion of gundam tropes, whereas the first season is more of a reinforcement of those tropes.

[@wolfiewoo3371]

Second season made perfect sense though. From the get go Tekkadan has been doing things the same way every time. Rushing head first into danger and crushing anything that gets in your way is not a sustainable way to create a better life for you and your family. They always had to ride by the seat of their pants and pull of some crazy plan that required a lot of luck. Even Naze questioned Oraga's intentions because his actions didn't match what he claimed to believe. It wasn't just subversion for subversion sake, everything was set up and paid off in a way that made sense.

[@kloa4219]

Biscuits was the brains and reason for their success, once he got killed off it all fell downhill

[@victorbianquini3636]

It looks so cartoony, is kinda hard to take it that seriously when the characters look so extra(even compared to other anime)

[@wolfiewoo3371]

Hard disagree. Even compared to many other anime these characters have surprisingly grounded character designs.

[@Aelxi]

I gave up after 3 episodes