Muv-Luv Alternative ep 9: A Nation on fire
Shots are fired, lives are lost, and the Imperial Capital burns.
As the fighting escalate more and more between the Rebels and the IJF and Imperial Guards, Takeru “by chance” happened upon a person of utmost importance in the conflict: none other than the Shogun herself. And now the cat’s out of the bag: the Shogun – the Supreme Commander of the Military – is a spitting image of Meiya. By now, newcomers should be able to tell that they are related. And not just a normal relative, the two are twin sisters. A small fun fact: Meiya’s name was written with the Japanese characters for “Dark Night”, and Yuuhi’s the characters for “Daylight”. The two are literally the Shogun and her shadow. One can now start to piece things together: from Tsukuyomi’s presence and the way the Royal Guards act towards Meiya as well as the Takemikazuchi for her.
As the fighting escalate more and more between the Rebels and the IJF and Imperial Guards, Takeru “by chance” happened upon a person of utmost importance in the conflict: none other than the Shogun herself. And now the cat’s out of the bag: the Shogun – the Supreme Commander of the Military – is a spitting image of Meiya. By now, newcomers should be able to tell that they are related. And not just a normal relative, the two are twin sisters. A small fun fact: Meiya’s name was written with the Japanese characters for “Dark Night”, and Yuuhi’s the characters for “Daylight”. The two are literally the Shogun and her shadow. One can now start to piece things together: from Tsukuyomi’s presence and the way the Royal Guards act towards Meiya as well as the Takemikazuchi for her.
Either way, Takeru’s group are now tasked with bringing the Shogun safely to Yokohama base, away from the hands of the Rebel. For those who aren’t clear, the Rebel’s aim is to get a Royal Decree from the Shogun that basically endorses their actions: kill off the government officials that have been neglecting the Shogun as a figurehead and running the country on their own. Even if after the fact, they would be execute anyway. In the end, their sole purpose is to restore the Shogun’s authority over the government and Japan itself. However, if that were to happen, it would mean Japan is actively refusing the UN and US’ assistance as well as validating the bloodshed that Sagiri and his accomplishes have done. This would isolate Japan as a Nation State from the BETA war.
And the chase begins! Takeru’s carrying Yuuhi in his cockpit, and the Rebels are hot on their tales. A struggle for the Shogun between Sagiri’s Capital Guard Regiment, the Fuji Training Corp (who have defected to Sagiri’s side) and the UN, the IJF, the Royal Guard, and lastly, the US Army, begun. And a spectacular battle broke out in episode 9 of the anime, accompanied by extremely amazing soundtrack.
The highlight this episode was definitely the TSF battle. The spectacular combat between Sagiri’s Capital Guard Regiment (Shiranuis with the word “patriot” painted on their TSF skirt), the Fuji Training Corps (Russian Camo TSF) and the IJF. Even though they are using the same machines, the level of the pilots are night-and-day. The Rebels easily swooped past the poor IJF soldiers and are hot on Takeru and the UN’s tail. But of course, the cavalry always arrive in time.
The F-22A Raptor is definitely a mean machine. The eerie sound effect of the engine really give the Raptors that sorta villain feel. The F-22 is one of the few TSF that has a multi-eye config, giving it a more unconventional and intimidating look. Its combat prowess is no slouch either, as it was developed as a unit specifically to fight against other TSF. Superior stealth and mobility, the Raptors made short work of the Rebel’s Shiranuis to establish US dominance. As we see in TE, they are a force to be reckoned with.
The last fight scene was done amazingly! The ordered chaos that broke out at the Toll Booth was choreographed perfectly. Everything was chaotic, but all the units were acting along with their mission and they flow like two currents clashing against each other, one side ebb and the other rise. A fluid exchange of maddening bullet rain. Evan Call’s soundtrack was also amazing. His voice still got that energy from Schwarzesmarken days. All the budget is for this one single arc here.
It seems likely that season 1 will end on the Coup Arc. Which means a strong possibility for season 2 (with all that BETA marketing). After a pretty rushed start, the anime has been pacing itself very reasonably and took time to establish events and characters. The staff really want to get to the unique parts of Alt and skip the Unl speedrun which wouldn’t make a lot of sense without knowing Unlimited anyway, so it’s an okay compromise.
The F-22A Raptor is definitely a mean machine. The eerie sound effect of the engine really give the Raptors that sorta villain feel. The F-22 is one of the few TSF that has a multi-eye config, giving it a more unconventional and intimidating look. Its combat prowess is no slouch either, as it was developed as a unit specifically to fight against other TSF. Superior stealth and mobility, the Raptors made short work of the Rebel’s Shiranuis to establish US dominance. As we see in TE, they are a force to be reckoned with.
The last fight scene was done amazingly! The ordered chaos that broke out at the Toll Booth was choreographed perfectly. Everything was chaotic, but all the units were acting along with their mission and they flow like two currents clashing against each other, one side ebb and the other rise. A fluid exchange of maddening bullet rain. Evan Call’s soundtrack was also amazing. His voice still got that energy from Schwarzesmarken days. All the budget is for this one single arc here.
It seems likely that season 1 will end on the Coup Arc. Which means a strong possibility for season 2 (with all that BETA marketing). After a pretty rushed start, the anime has been pacing itself very reasonably and took time to establish events and characters. The staff really want to get to the unique parts of Alt and skip the Unl speedrun which wouldn’t make a lot of sense without knowing Unlimited anyway, so it’s an okay compromise.
