Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans Ep 18

OH MY GOD, MIKA RECOGNIZES FAREED IMMEDIATELY- EVEN WITH THE MASK ON! DAMN HE IS SHARP!

I am honestly happy he was able to do that because it would drive me bonkers for them to agree to this deal without knowing who the person is under the mask. Right now only three of them are aware of this, Orga, Biscuit and Mika because they were all at the scene together, and Fareed had warned them to keep quiet about it otherwise the deal is off.

After we have learned about Gjallarhorn’s corruption, I have started considering Fareed’s purpose was to fight and eliminate the organization by replacing it with a new one. The problem however, like the boys- I don’t trust him. There is definitely more to it. We don’t know enough about Fareed’s perspective outside of Gjallarhorn’s politics. He says he wants to support and be a part of Kudelia’s revolution, but how does he truly feel about the Martians, Earth, and the rest of those like the Martians, who are not included in the Earth’s Sphere. Giving chocolate to little girls is by no means a reason to believe he’s a good man. The most concerning about Fareed is his character. We have seen glimpses of his darkness, his unhappiness, his frustration of his father’s politics. He is unpredictable, making it harder to imagine his ultimate vision of what kind of outcome he desires out of this revolution. But there is one thing for sure: Fareed does want to eliminate Gjallarhorn and  its Regularly Bureau, but in the progress a war will unfold, instability will take place, and it will become a vacuum for conflict, reminiscing the days of the infamous war which had destroyed the moon.
Hell, even the kid who was in charge to counting the goods Fareed has “gifted them” says, “It’s kind of creepy, it’s like they are taking advantage of us.” (WELL SAID, AND RIGHT ON POINT).

Kudelia’s speech was a tad shorter than I had expected it to be, but in all it was sufficient enough to leave a mark. She outright challenged Gjallarhorn, to shoot her ship down during LIVE broadcast. It was a gamble, but she knew they wouldn’t because it would taint their public image. They are supposed to be on the side of ‘justice’, not perceived as the villains who massacred and frame the victims and their movements as terrorists. Kudelia’s speech spoke about the truth, her ignorance, and what she has learned since she has embarked on her journey. She is no longer simply fighting for the Martians’ rights, she now declares she will fight this battle to protect those who are oppressed by Gjallarhorn. However in order to do this, Kudelia knows she needs to become stronger, but even no- despite what she had accomplished simply by her voice and message, she considers herself powerless. She is desperate to become stronger, more knowledge, more reliable, she wants to become Hope. So even though it leaves a bad taste in her mouth to work alongside a man who she considers is at least partially at fault for Fumitans’ death (had he not spoken of the truth, maybe things might have been different if Fumitan had not ran off like that), she is going to accept his proposal, willing to use whatever she can and has at her disposal.

In other news, we were given a bit of backstory and insight about Ein’s character. I’m not really sure how many people actually cared about this development, I personally don’t really know what to feel since I don’t particularly like his character. The reason why he is holding such a deep grudge towards Mika and Tekkadan is because Crank was the first and only person who had treated him as an equal. Ein is a “half-breed” as he calls it, his mother is a Martian and his father is from Earth. Being a half-breed made him a target in discrimination everywhere he goes. Crank was a precious friend, and was something he could look up to, who always had wisdom and advice to share. But I suppose the most important take away from this is the audience’s understanding Crank’s character in the way Ein doesn’t. Ein unfortunately didn’t share the same sentiments as Crank, who didn’t want to fight or kill child soldiers. When he went back to face off against Tekkadan, he did so knowing no matter the outcome, he would not return to Gjallarhorn- that is why he gave Ein his pin. It is that crucial piece of information which had flown over Ein’s head, and at this point I do wonder whether or not it is already too late for him to notice. It is also contributes to the suggestion Crank was likely one of those few officers who were disgusted by the corruption within Gjallarhorn. That being said, it does make me curious of what will become of Ein, as he becomes a part of and witnesses the corruption of Gjallarhorn.

Finally the last bit of the episode was super sweet and super adorable. Atra had noticed Kudelia has been pushing herself (hell, this girl hasn’t even had the time to grieve properly), and tells her to try to talk to her more. Atra wants Kudelia to not bottle up her sadness, stress and anxiety. She wants to support her in any way she can. When Kudelia starts crying- the first thing Atra does is, instead of hugging Kudelia herself, she demands Mika to do it (gosh she is so funny!) so he does, and when Atra starts crying Mika hugs her too, and so we have this adorable group hug with the two girls crying their eyes out. It was absolutely fantastic, I love this friendship. <3

Next week, we’re going to meet a cray cray woman from one of the Seven Stars of Gjallarhorn.