Valkyria Chronicles - Episode 23

The last few episodes have seen Alicia transform from a normal girl into some kind of ultimate weapon (with apologies to Saikano's Chise), and her role as the new forefront of the Gallian army's efforts to win back their country continue as this episode begins, with the Empire pushed further and further back, in turn reducing Maximilian's waning influence and power all the more.


Of course, Alicia's new role and post as a Captain means that she's no longer allowed to fraternise with the likes of the Militia, and Squad 7's decision to pay her a visit ends in a brawl, even roping Welkin into the fray eventually as his patience is tested by the continuing references to Alicia as a monster. While Welkin and Faldio both find themselves well and truly outside of the military's "in" crowd, so Princess Cornelia does everything she can to help them out, from releasing them from their respective imprisonment to allocating Squad 7 to protect her in the next major battle at Alicia's behest... a battle which looks set to see the two Valkrur face off against one another once again.

Given the natural way this episode was bound to progress, I suppose it was inevitable that it might feel somewhat like it's simply going through the motions - As we build up towards the show's final episodes, there really wasn't much real meat to get our teeth into here as various scenes were set for the run-in to a big finish. The only real news of note here is the change in Welkin's normally passive temperament into a more pro-active role when it comes to Alicia - As his feelings towards her have developed and been revealed, so we finally see him taking action to protect and communicate with her where previously he has done nothing. Of course, this is big news in and of itself, but in isolation it wasn't enough to carry any kind of huge emotional core within the episode as a whole, leaving it feeling a little empty compared to some of Valkyria Chronicles instalments throughout its second half.