Muv-Luv Alternative ep 8: Civil War
As tension rises within the Imperial Japan, a conflict is inevitable. We open this episode with a bloody scene as Sagiri initiated his coup d’etat.
It’s quite interesting to see the actual events that transpired. As Meiya said in the last episode, the IJF do not have the resource for humanitarian missions, so they have used force to make the civilians comply. “As long as they are alive, it will work out” – was what Prime Minister Sakaki Korechika said. Unfortunately, the people that got “rescued” were forced to live in really bad conditions, and that lit a fire under Sagiri and his “compatriots”. And that lead to this situation. Though it is quite a dilemma between saving the lives of civilians or honoring their wishes to die in their hometown. As Japan’s population has been reduced significantly, saving the people is the priority of the government, however, their livelihood after “getting saved” was worse than before. Truly a regrettable decision.
It’s quite interesting to see the actual events that transpired. As Meiya said in the last episode, the IJF do not have the resource for humanitarian missions, so they have used force to make the civilians comply. “As long as they are alive, it will work out” – was what Prime Minister Sakaki Korechika said. Unfortunately, the people that got “rescued” were forced to live in really bad conditions, and that lit a fire under Sagiri and his “compatriots”. And that lead to this situation. Though it is quite a dilemma between saving the lives of civilians or honoring their wishes to die in their hometown. As Japan’s population has been reduced significantly, saving the people is the priority of the government, however, their livelihood after “getting saved” was worse than before. Truly a regrettable decision.
And of course, Prof. Kouzuki wouldn’t let this “chance” slip by. The Cadet group that has just passed their CCSE and got a few days of training are dispatched en route to the field. It isn’t an outright combat mission, but being deployed to the field mean the possibility of combat breaking out isn’t zero. And you can guess what would happen by now. It’s quite nice to see the Fubuki getting painted into proper combat color and not just training color. It goes to show the level of details they put into the TSF.
Muv-Luv has just slightly revealed their hands in politics, which is actually quite intricate and complex with complicated dynamics between many sides. We have the US – who is wanting to expand their influence on Japan, the Alt V supporters (which are largely US as well), the Alt IV supporters (Yokohama UN base and Takeru), the Imperial Diet and Sagiri’s faction. The tense political tension are like playing 4D chess between quite a few players: Yuuko, Sakon, the US, and more. It is quite an interesting premise we found ourselves in.
The conversation between Takeru and Ayamine was also interesting. The relationship between Sagiri and her is quite complex. The admiration that she once held for Sagiri like a “big brother” has long turned into scorn and indifference. The Gwangju tragedy – namely when Ayamine’s father – General Shuukaku – prioritized the evacuation of Korean citizens over the defense line, costing many Japanese Eishi’s lives and TSF. And that condemn not just him but also Ayamine’s family as traitors. Sagiri – enraged by the treatment of Shuukaku – plotted this coup to “restore” the pride of Japan.
Animation this episode was amazing. The 2D has improved and most shots are consistently good. The TSFs – while not engaging in direct combat – were animated perfectly. They do make the impression of warriors ready to spring at any moment. We can also see them tensing up based on their faction. The atmosphere and tone were very properly conveyed. Takeru and the rest of the girls are now on site, preparing for their so-called “rear guard” mission. But things are about to ramp up to eleven in the next episode as they teased the back of a familiar figure we saw back in Total Eclipse…
Animation this episode was amazing. The 2D has improved and most shots are consistently good. The TSFs – while not engaging in direct combat – were animated perfectly. They do make the impression of warriors ready to spring at any moment. We can also see them tensing up based on their faction. The atmosphere and tone were very properly conveyed. Takeru and the rest of the girls are now on site, preparing for their so-called “rear guard” mission. But things are about to ramp up to eleven in the next episode as they teased the back of a familiar figure we saw back in Total Eclipse…
