Naze Turbine ain’t no mere playa. He not only has his own harem, but instead of wacky hijinks and personal crises on who does he love, polygamy is the name of his game. We know not yet why he does it, but somehow given the very copacetic atmosphere of his vessel and having kids with many different women, it works. All I could do though is wonder if, based on this new OP addition, they’re all gonna die. That’d be cruel, and given the fact that they have kids, that’d be VERY cruel.
Is Okada that cruel? I hope not. Are we ready for Victory Gundam-era Yoshiyuki Tomino with a vagina?
Who knows? It is known however that this episode is all about the uncertainty, as manifested in, shock, Mika and Orga. Yeah, they succeeded in their gamble to raid the ship and take it through hand-to-hand combat, but the fact that Tekkadan fought to a stalemate takes its toll. Mika, being the little brother that he is, is disappointed he was challenged enough that he could not be of aid to Orga when he fought against the Turbines. It’s nice to see how Mika handles his own disappointment and failure. Granted, he’s still his usual stoic, laconian, self, but given the way he looks at Orga, you can see it’s irks him deeply. Now all that needs to be seen is when he faces crushing defeat.
The uncertainty of Orga, on the other hand, is much more surprising and to an extent quite welcome. One would think that a successful gambit like the one that took up the first six minutes of this week’s episode would inflate his ego a bit. However, fresh out of hearing how low their funds are, he is lost for words when Naze asks why, if they’re so short on cash they didn’t say yes to his original demands. Initially I was taken aback by how Orga stumbles when he states his usual rhetorical flourish about avenging his comrades and how they are all bound in blood. After thinking about it, it makes sense. It’s one thing to speak idealistically to followers and anyone who opposes you, but when it’s answering what is just a mundane, if curious, question, it makes a person look silly. The fun part is when Orga verbally posits that he will die for Tekkadan on the battlefield, which results in a forceful flick on the head and subsequent scolding by Naze.
After seven episodes of uncertainty as to whether Orga will eventually bite it, this scene dismantles quite a bit of that thought process (although as always some parts remain). Naze is correct that without Orga, Tekkadan would come apart. It serves as a message that perhaps this series is just as much about Orga as it is about Mika. He needs to come into his own as a leader. To revert back to comparisons to Gurren Lagann, I still believe there’s quite a bit of Simon in Mika. However, when observing the rest of the series, it has yet to showcase any events that are part and parcel to his eventual self-actualization as an individual and/or a leader of men. Right now, that deservedly belongs to Orga. Whether that changes I do not know, but dear Mr. Augus is entrenched deeper into the Brandon Heat/Guts mold, and looks to remain that way for however long the series wants him to.
Either way, as much as i like them slowly but surely growing more powerful, we REALLY need to get to Earth. Hopefully this talk with Teiwaz only lasts an episode. Again, who knows? Maybe it'll be like this one in that it's soooo good it flies right by.
Iron-Blooded Notes:
- Apparently the show is getting complaints in Japan about its violence. Seriously, a few series ago, it showed a preteen’s servered arm and her family fatally maimed by an explosion. Then the series after that, the plot involved child soldiers and included a horrific wedding massacre. What happened on that episode they're talking about is like freaking Disney compared to those other ones!
- I love the friendship building between Atra and Kudelia. It’s cute and I love how supportive the young cook is towards the wayward leader of independence.
- Looks like Gjallarhorn also is causing a bit of discontent in the Earth Sphere as they seem to be chafing under them like their regions on Mars (if what i heard this ep is any indication). Curious how that will turn out.
