Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans Ep 19

Man this was a brutal fight, there was a lot of blood being spilled today. Eugune was the first, entrusted to be in charge while Orga leads the small team of Mika, Biscuit, Shiro, Akihiro, Kudelia, Atra and Merribit. This leavings Eugune to lead and take care of the others on their ship left in space. But while we are assured they do have some form of protection thanks to Naze sending in his wives to help the kids out, the threat of Gjallarhorn and Carta remains in place. Eugune took on the difficult task of using the Alaya-Vijnana system to control not one, but two major ships. They started off their decoy attack by using the Brewer’s ship as a shield, and by controlling it as well allowed Eugune to make the most of it. But it came with a price. It was too much for his body, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. I am worried about Eugune’s condition- but considering how humorously they left it off, he should be okay. There is also the factor of the massive blood loss, so he will need a blood transfusion, something which Merribit has brought up in the past when she first came aboard. Makes me wonder if they have gotten any since.
The next major development was Ein’s sacrifice. I was not expecting that, but we did learn something valuable from Ein after all. He is happily be selfless for those who treat him equally. His biggest regret was to lose Crank, and for the second time, Gaelio was caught in a corner when he was fighting against Mika and when he was expecting the impact, it was Ein who threw himself in front of him once more, this time really getting hurt. Although Ein has been known to me up till now as a grudge holder, we were able to be treated with a more humane side of him. If Ein isn’t dead after this, well there is no doubt he will be bedridden due to his critical condition and be out of the fight for a while- or even for the remaining of the season (especially if there will be a second season). On the other hand, if Ein did die- then he died with honor of a selfless act. On the other hand, had Ein not done that, Shiro may have very well been a goner. He was stuck in a vulnerable position where he could not protect himself. It is because Ein chosen to put Gaelio’s life over his, is the reason he is still alive.

Perhaps the biggest and most interesting insight of the episode was with Fareed/Montag as he calls himself now. I always appreciate being able to see the flashbacks of a villain or even a potential anti-hero in the making. We saw the childhood memories which involved Carta, Gaelio and the first time they have met Fareed. As a child, Fareed had a very angry and aggressive look on his face. And we further learn he had despised his father since he was young. Perhaps the most interesting distinction of this flashback, is while Carta fell in love with him at first sight, Gaelio’s first impression was, “How dirty…” (Really Gaelio? Dirty? How the hell does he look dirty after appearing out of a limo?) But it appears according to Gaelio, it was after that the three of them became friends- or maybe that may be from his perspective but Fareed’s would be the complete opposite. This episode also may have well confirmed Gaelio is in fact out of the loop of Fareed assisting Tekkadan, especially when Fareed himself doesn’t appear to be too concerned about his childhood ‘friends’ lives. In fact, while there is a part of me who is intrigued with the idea of Fareed potentially rising as an anti-hero (since it was fun to see him and Mika actually working together), right now, he intends to use Tekkadan, Kudelia’s Revolution and whatever other resources as his pawns for his grand plans. He wants to see if Tekkadan truly have the resolve and believe that the path they are taking are steps of progress for a better future. I am very curious to see what kind of conclusion he will come to, and varying on which one plays how, how he will act from there on out.

After undergoing a brutal and tense fight, the team has safely descended to Earth, but Mika had to figure out his own way because he was too late in re-joining the team. So he decided to use one of the fallen’s suits and use that to protect him from the impact of descending onto Earth for the first time. And you have to hand it to Mika for being unfazed and calmly notes, “Earth’s gravity is amazing.” I was laughing so hard. But finally, Mika gets to see the moon for the first time- no up in person unfortunately, but at least from Earth’s perspective.
It will be interesting how their fight will unfold as the team finally get to talk with the leader whom Kudelia was supposed to meet. Looking forward to next week’s episode! But seriously, it definitely looks like we are in for a second season considering there are only six episodes left, and I am having a hard time imagining a tidy wrap up.