Wait for it – it’s coming. If the ultimate test of whether a series is working or not is whether you feel anything for the characters (worry, for example) Kidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans is definitely working for me. I think it’s a testament to the experience and savvy […] Read more
Meat and cookies don’t always stand for meat and cookies. It’s always interesting to see the response to episodes of a Gundam series in the usual places where people vote on such things (you’re familiar with these popular sites, I’m sure) especially a Gundam show like this one with its […] Read more
He’s not exactly Craster, but that doesn’t mean Naze Turbine is a swell guy. Once again Tekketsu no Orphans turned on a dime, ditching last week’s action-driven style for a dialogue-heavy episode full of emotion. Once you get past the whiplash I rather like that this series has the ability […] Read more
What one takes away from this episode hinges on, I expect, what one brings into it. I have no quibbles with this episode of Iron-Blooded Orphans, and I expect it’s going to be greeted quite favorably by the audience. No reason why it shouldn’t – it’s a very solid mecha […] Read more
So far Tekketsu no Orphans is sticking pretty close to the template, but it seems to be working. I had a chance to see Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterun da (Anthem of the Heart) this weekend, which I bring up here because like Iron-Blooded Orphans, it’s a collaboration between Nagai Tatsuyuki and […] Read more
This week’s message is clear: you just can’t trust Hitler. Who knew? For my money that was definitely the best episode of Tekketsu no Orphans so far. I like Gundam episodes that are succinct, focused and to the point – when it comes to this mythos, in my view simpler […] Read more
It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for. In Gundam, anyway. Iron-Blooded Orphans is certainly shaping up as an interesting show, albeit one with some discernible flaws (and I’m not talking about the quite significant drop in animation quality this week). The first four episodes have generally […] Read more
And so, the Sisyphus impersonation begins… After 12 hours of travel I’ve pretty much hit the wall, so about the best I can do is touch base briefly on what I’ve missed: Concrete Revolutio – 03: This remains one of the strangest shows of the year, but it’s so distinctive […] Read more
On thing about Gundam – whatever the series itself brings to the table, you can get an awful lot of entertainment value from the names. OP Sequence: The elephant in the room with Iron-Blooded Orphans is and always has been the same: how will Okada Mari’s dominant-gene vision mesh with […] Read more
Whatever one might think this series will ultimately become, it’s not one to be dismissed easily. This series probably has more baggage than any other this season. There are so many eponymous words attached to it – Gundam, Sunrise, Nagai, Okada – that it’s impossible to go into it with […] Read more