Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series

[RRW]

This thread is to be used for discussing the entire episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. your thoughts about the show, overall impressions, expectations and hopes about Blu-Ray/DVD-exclusive footage etc.

A few subjects you might want to ramble on about:

• General impression of the series.
• Opinions on the overall story, writing & plot devices.
• Thoughts about the animation quality.
• Characters/Character Design
• Voice Acting
• Which kind of footage (Blu-Ray/DVD-exclusive) you feel you'd really like to see.
• What the show meant to you.
• What could the creators/animators/writers have done better.

And so on.

The poll represents your total series rating. In other words, how you would rate all the episodes combined (1-10)? If you'd rather rate the whole series by technical/artistic merits, you can do so. An example:

Animation Quality: 1-10
Voice Actors: 1-10
Script: 1-10
Soundtrack: 1-10
Editing: 1-10
Enjoyment: 1-10
Emotional Involvement: 1-10

Average = Total Series Rating

Or a combination of the two. Or your general gut feeling.

Feel free to discuss and more importantly, have fun

[SonicSP]

Well, I thought the pacing could have been way better.

[B214]

Emotional Involvement: Biscuit

[wissenschaft]

Originally Posted by B214

Emotional Involvement: Biscuit

I know what you mean. *cries of anguish* I can still hear Orga's scream of anguish. I'm shocked how many people pity Carta. She was a fool, clearly with little combat experience and got in way over her head. If anything, her end was too quick but then again, I might be quite a spiteful man. lol

The show had a bit of a slow start because it focused on the character development quite heavily around the half way mark. But it was worth it because you felt for the character latter on when their lives were in danger. Overall, I felt like the slow progression of the series earned an 8 out of 10 for me but I can certainly understand while people may view it as a 9.5. Then again, after watching zeta gundam, most gundam shows will seem "slow" in comparison. Damn you zeta gundam for spoiling me. lol

P.S. The show gets bonus points for avoiding beam spam the franchise is famous/infamous for. It certainly made the fights feel more visceral. All those crushed cockpits, ouch, such a brutal way to go. So I think this bumps up the show to an 8.5.

[kgrodriguez]

Cant write much now, but for now:

- The melee fights and sounds of metal against metal is refreshing and is fun to watch in a way. The brutality of smashing, slicing, and tearing up metal is a nice change from laserd and explosions.

- i love the two OP songs used. Was an instant fan of Raise Your Flag (mainly because of Man With A Mission also doing NNT's/ TSDS's second OP as well). The second OP was also great.

- Character growth and progression for characters like Kudelia and Biscuit.

- I loved the variety of battles: space battles, earth battles, group battles, one-on-one, etc.

- felt the pacing was a bit slow at the start, but overall I think the pacing was fine.


All in all, it was a great first season. Probably one of my favorite Gundam seasons (next to OO S1) among the newer ones. I just hope they build on this towards an equally good, if not better, second season.

[Chosen_Hero]

I'll wait until after season 2 for an "Overall series impression" but so far it's a 10.

[xeviouses]

Originally Posted by Chosen_Hero

I'll wait until after season 2 for an "Overall series impression" but so far it's a 10.

Same here, but I'll give it an 8 overall.

[dienrachen]

I loved the first few eps, but my enthusiasm waned as the show carried on.

IBO had a lot of promises but I feel it didn't deliver. Beams or no beams, the Gundam is still an untouchable murder-machine that swats everything aside, and the good guys still enjoy the same plot armour as any other Gundam serie.

I mean, it's not a bad serie - my gripe is it could've been so much better, even if that potential is just my self-delusion.

Overall it's I give it a 7, because while the story and the pacing are bad, the execution holds up nicely - especially the music. Oh god, I'm in love with the music.

Let's hope they don't pull a 00 with the second season.

[Skye629]

Quick sum up

Pacing main downfall. Everything else IMO was above average to extremely good



8/10


I would actually like to see an extended edition where they added in new stuff to improve flow/extend combat some while subtracting from the dragged out parts. That would be really good

[Skaddix]

Well Since I hate GBFT, this was a vast improvement in my book. Pacing was problematic. Kudelia spent way too long sucking up screen time and being useless. The Bromance was great though. No beam spam and laser sword was good. Heroes who felt like underdogs and relied on tactics. Bad guys were kinda lacking. The most competent bad guy aka Char Clone turning on his friends basically crippled the antagonist. The other competent bad guy teamed up with another bad guy to cash in. So I give it an 8.

[Jestersage]

My issue with IBO is that it feels like a drama with Gundam tacted onto it, then a Gundam show. In fact, if you replace all mobile suits with more realistic mechas, the effects are more or less the same.

[brightman]

Originally Posted by Jestersage

My issue with IBO is that it feels like a drama with Gundam tacted onto it, then a Gundam show. In fact, if you replace all mobile suits with more realistic mechas, the effects are more or less the same.

Really? How? If anything this has the opposite effect for me... One of my complaints was that it tried too hard to force Gundam conventions into the show, and some of it was getting a little too familiar.

The original aspects of the show, i.e. the plot of building up a space mercenary group, and the metal-hitting-metal melee heavy fight scenes were a great change of pace from the norm, but I didn't get the sense that this is deviating too far from Gundam at all.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by Jestersage

My issue with IBO is that it feels like a drama with Gundam tacted onto it, then a Gundam show. In fact, if you replace all mobile suits with more realistic mechas, the effects are more or less the same.

Since Gundam 0080 is one of my most favorite Gundam outings, the "drama first, mecha later"-approach is actually a plus in my book. And I do prefer mechas to go in that direction: make a good story first, then adds some mechas in it and do battles only when it's necessary. Gunbuster, one of the finest mechas out there also took that approach.

Anyway my score in the above poll only applied to season 1. I will put my final thoughts after all is said and done in season 2.

[Ryuuoh DeltaPlus]

I would agree with Obelisk ze Tormentor's comment.

From what I gather, some Gundam fans just watch the flashy battles without paying attention to the characters or the story. They just want mecha action. It's kinda like people who likes action movies just because of the action, not for the story.

For me though, IBO is a refreshing take on the series.
It's kinda like "a group of mercenary kids who are running a company they wrestled from their old employer is getting a new job, which is to escort the Martian princess to Earth safely". I like this new story line for Gundam, which usually just recycles the "two factions which are hellbent on destroying each other is stopped by the main protagonist who pilots the advanced MS, Gundam"

[darkone45]

Originally Posted by Jestersage

My issue with IBO is that it feels like a drama with Gundam tacted onto it, then a Gundam show. In fact, if you replace all mobile suits with more realistic mechas, the effects are more or less the same.

if we had to much Action and not enough Character it would be 00 all over again with no breathing room ( and nobody wants that ) I like where things are going with IBO and it seems Japan thinks so as well.

[Ryuuoh DeltaPlus]

BTW, what is IBO's final ratings in Japan now that it has ended?

[Tactics]

Originally Posted by Ryuuoh DeltaPlus

BTW, what is IBO's final ratings in Japan now that it has ended?

IBO final rating is not far from AGE's 2.56% from what I've heard, a bit higher IIRC.

Kit sales is similar to GBF and G-Reco, dominated by Barbatos, which not really surprising IMO. Kits like the Man Rodi and some of the Turbines are seeing heavy discounts in Japan stores; I heard in some country there's some kit collector asking if there's any good MS worth-to-buy from IBO series aside of Barbatos. LOL.

[darkone45]

Originally Posted by Tactics

IBO final rating is not far from AGE's 2.56% from what I've heard, a bit higher IIRC.

Kit sales is similar to GBF and G-Reco, dominated by Barbatos, which not really surprising IMO. Kits like the Man Rodi and some of the Turbines are seeing heavy discounts in Japan stores; I heard in some country there's some kit collector asking if there's any good MS worth-to-buy from IBO series aside of Barbatos. LOL.

But IBO also Top New type Magazine right ? which AGE didn't do. Also Do legal streams like daisuki count ? they or don't count in the Final rating.

[Tactics]

Originally Posted by darkone45

But IBO also Top New type Magazine right ? which AGE didn't do. Also Do legal streams like daisuki count ? they or don't count in the Final rating.

Yes. The count already including streams.

I won't take Newtype polling results that much as Newtype polling doesn't reflect overall viewers but minority.
Think of it as a polling on an otaku community, that's why despite scoring high in Newtype polling, general impression of IBO in Japan is still not good;
For example, in Newtype scan on General IBO Discussion thread, they wrote Erased (Boku Dake ga Inai Machi), Osomatsu-san and Monogatari series popularity are behind IBO based on their polling results, while in reality, those three popularity already left IBO behind by far leap.

[darkone45]

Originally Posted by Tactics

Yes. The count already including streams.

I won't take Newtype polling results that much as Newtype polling doesn't reflect overall viewers but minority.
Think of it as a polling on an otaku community, that's why despite scoring high in Newtype polling, general impression of IBO in Japan is still not good;
For example, in Newtype scan on General IBO Discussion thread, they wrote Erased (Boku Dake ga Inai Machi), Osomatsu-san and Monogatari series popularity are behind IBO based on their polling results, while in reality, those three popularity already left IBO behind by far leap.

Funny since daisuki twitte how successful IBO was on their site https://twitter.com/daisuki_net/stat...52787912052736 I don't understand these Low ratings at all and don't make sense at all. If the Ratings are that Bad they should have just Pull the show off for having a season 2 altogether since there was no indication there would be a season 2 ( unlike 00) Forgive me if I don't believe or buy into it or take those ratings seriously. Sounds like its people spreading bad publicity on the internet for a show that did pretty good , Since Unlike G-reco Nobody from Sunrise came out and Addressed this.