Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova - Episode 12 (Completed)

For all of her talk of abiding by the rules and codes of the Fog, it's fair to say that Kongou has gone a little.... "off the rails" as we enter Arpeggio of Blue Steel's first episode.

If anything further evidence were needed that she's gone bonkers, her first attack is not to take out Iona and her crew but to obliterate and effectively absorb all of her allies.  It's a move which leaves everyone baffled, but a discussion between Kongou and the other Mental Models soon reveals the true extent of her insanity - an all-encompassing hatred of what she calls "errors" who have somehow taken on human traits.  Now that she, too, is one of those "errors", she seems to have no qualms about destroying herself alongside her former comrades.

Iona is having none of this however, and pleads with Gunzou to let her talk directly with Kongou to save her - a request which requires actual physical contact between the two of them.  It seems like an impossible mission, but it's one that the crew take to with aplomb as Iona, freed from her ship, goes head-to-head with Kongou.  It's a discussion that is certainly far more physical than verbal, and one that Iona looks to have no chance of winning as Kongou sets herself up to obliterate them both.  Perhaps, however, Iona's "error" in the form of her feelings towards those around her are actually not a weakness, but her greatest asset when her back is against the wall...

Although it in no way tackles all of the ideas and issues set up across the duration of the series, this was still a pretty satisfyingly action-packed finale to the show - a little hard to swallow in places but with a pleasing sense of the theatrically grandiose and a visual scope to match.  It isn't the kind of ending to leave you thinking, and it could be considered lightweight and trivial, but then again that matches the tone of much of the second half anyhow.  That feeling of potential that was neither entirely squandered nor fully realised really sums up Arpeggio of Blue Steel as a whole - a series with some fantastic episodes that really made the most of its setting and premise, but not frequently enough to provide anything truly memorable beyond short-term entertainment value.  Still, with animation that seemed to improve by the week, if nothing else this does perhaps offer proof that you can make a pretty decent late-night anime using CG alone, which could well be a notable landmark that does leave us talking about the series in years to come.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova - Episode 11

Kongou may have been relieved of her duties as part of the Fog, but that doesn't mean that the I-401 (now combined with Takao) and her crew are on easy street as they look to take the all-important corrosive torpedoes to America - far from it in fact.

Faced with nearly two dozen enemy fog ships, Chihaya doesn't flinch, and in a single move making full use of both the supergravity cannon and torpedoes he takes care of the whole bunch in one fell swoop.  These craft, however, were little more than the red shirts of the fleet, and it isn't long before Iona finds herself pursued by her sisters, both of whom are keen to have one final crack at fathoming her behaviour only to come up blank against Iona's ill-described feelings towards Gunzou and why she has to fight for him.

With no chance of reaching an understanding, I-400 and I-402 resort to their more obvious strategy of attacking without question, although with a number of Fog vessels and his own tactical mind at his disposal Chihaya actually has something approaching the upper hand as he tricks, traps and ensnares the two enemy before downing them in a hail of torpedos.  Needless to say, it's a scenario that leaves Iona distraught as she's torn between fighting for both her and Gunzou's survival and sparing her sisters, but ultimately she abides by Chihaya's wishes.  Not that this is the I-401's final battle by any stretch...

I can't help but feel like the first portion of this week's episode of Arpeggio of Blue Steel was a bit of a wasted opportunity - taking on twenty-two opponents at once could easily have been an episode in its own right, allowing us another glimpse of Chihaya's tactical nous and calm demeanour under pressure, coupled with his ability to effectively use the now quite formidable allies at his disposal.  As it is, this was all waved away within moments in deference to battling Iona's sisters, which was also compelling in its own right as it blended its action with some more thought-provoking fare surrounding Iona himself, while also setting the show up with its "final boss" for next week.  Hopefully it's a fitting end to a series that hasn't always hit the mark but has certainly had a fair few strong moments to call upon.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova - Episode 10

With the wool pulled over Kongou's eyes thanks to an effective use of Iona as a decoy, it seemed as if the wrath of the Fog fleet flagship had been avoided.  Chihaya had, however, reckoned without Iona's direct "sisters", a pair of submarines with no qualms about scuttling their kin.

Having been hit with a full-on assault, the I-401 is badly damaged as it sinks fast and begins to take on water, and to make things worse their opponent has succeeded in disabling most of Iona's ability to repair herself using nanomaterials - it seems that there's no escape from this situation as the submarine sinks, begins to collapse under the pressure and takes on yet more water.  Meanwhile, on the surface the duo's comrades both Fog and human begin the search for the I-401 when she fails to arrive at the rendezvous point, and with no sign of her they begin to fear the worst.  Without a similarly capable submarine in their number that could reach the depths inherent to this part of the ocean, a very real danger emerges that they may never find the I-401 regardless of the current status of its occupants.

Speaking of which, it's fair to say that Gunzou isn't exactly in the best of health, but rather than ensuring his own survival his commands ensure that Iona and the I-401 remain as functional as possible, even if that means purging the ship's oxygen system amongst other things.  With air running out and the temperature dropping rapidly, it seems like the game is up for Chihaya, as he orders Iona to prioritise her own survival and the mission at hand over his own life.  Ultimately, this is something that Iona simply will not accept when push comes to shove, as she shows a very human streak of selflessness in attempting to save Chihaya, while Takao in turn sacrifices herself to save both Gunzou and Iona.  With even Kongou's role within the Fog now under question however, this isn't the end of the battle by any stretch of the imagination...

After meandering into areas that really didn't work too well in my opinion, this week's Arpeggio of Blue Steel was at last a reminder of the kind of thing that its scenario can - and did on this occasion - deliver well.  The drama and tension of being trapped in a sunken submarine is a pivotal part of any movie featuring said craft, and this was brought to bear here alongside a sense of loneliness that not only pervaded the episode but also ultimately serviced its pivotal moment while making good use of Iona, and eventually Takao, as characters.  In a way, this feels like it would have been a satisfying (if bittersweet) end to the series, but there's still more to come, so hopefully we can get a little more top-notch naval action before this series is done too, allowing Arpeggio of Blue Steel to end as it began.

Plus, while we're at it, can they just hurry up and release this show's soundtrack already?  I don't want to have to wait another three weeks...

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova - Episode 9

Now that Chihaya's first plan (Operation Bribe Them With Tea And A Barbecue) has failed and Kongou has decided that she wants nothing more than to wipe out Gunzou having seen how they've "corrupted" her fellow Mental Models, it's time for Plan B: Operation Get Out Of Here Really Fast.

Luckily, with an array of Mental Models now effectively at his beck and call, taking on Kongou, Maya and their fleet doesn't seem like quite such an impossible task, and his colleagues are soon spurred into action as Hyuuga is charged with defending the base from the massive attack, supergravity cannons and all, unleashed upon them.  In the meantime, Iona prepares to do a runner with Takao in tow as a decoy, while Hyuuga has left no shortage of nasty surprises floating around in the hope of thwarting Kongou's single-minded charge to take down the I-401, and with it Gunzou.

In the midst of all this, Kongou is quite happy to take a slightly less direct route as she converses with Hyuuga, Takao and Iona in turn in an attempt to get them to see the errors of their ways and take a step away from their various interests in humanity and becoming closer to their former enemies.  Of course, none of this trio of Mental Models has any desire to do this, and in fact their responses only serve to anger Kongou - a very human emotion which ultimately proves to be her downfall as she otherwise seems all set to destroy both Iona and Chihaya.  That, however, is far from the end of the story...

Rather unfortunately, this week's instalment of Arpeggio of Blue Steel doesn't quite manage to capture the thrilling cat and mouse scenarios offered up by some of its earlier episodes - its first half is a little ponderous, and Kongou's little chats with her former comrades only serve to stall the pacing further to deflect from the episode's action in favour of spending more time focusing on personality.  Still, there are a few tense moments, and the post-credits twist is a decidedly delicious one that shakes you out of your reverie while hyping us up for next week's episode, which is a job pretty well done for a series that otherwise seems to be getting oddly fan service oriented in its choice of shots in almost every scene now.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova - Episode 8

Repaired and refreshed at their island home of Iwoto they might be, but Gunzou and his growing team now find themselves surrounded and with nowhere to run, as Kengou and Maya close in on them.  Their base may be well fortified thanks to Hyuuga's efforts, but can it really withstand this kind of offensive?

However, it seems that Chihaya has no intention of allowing himself to be besieged, or indeed to engage in needless combat of any kind, and thus he does what any naval captain would do in this situation... he invites his opponents for a cup of tea and a barbecue.

Although this invitation extended to Kongou and Maya may seem like mere formalities and politeness gone mad, there is a method to Chihaya's thinking - on the one hand, he wants to learn exactly why the Fog are determined to wipe out humanity ("because they're programmed to" seems to be the broad answer to that one), and on the other he wants to allow the pair to taste human customs (and cuisine) in the hope that it might unravel an error in their logic in the same way that other Fog vessels have come to join him.  Kongou, it seems, is made of sterner stuff however, and any attempts to woo her fall upon deaf ears as she returns to her ship to start an all-out attack that could spell the end for the human resistance.

Given that I hoped last week's events were going to lead into another epic naval battle this time around, you can probably imagine that I wasn't exactly thrilled to see this week's Arpeggio of Blue Steel threatening to descend into K-ON with AI battleship girls, but in fairness events as they panned out did at least fit in with Chihaya's modus operandi and although the whole thing was a little fan service-y (yet again) there were some interesting little points to ponder.  Still, I now find myself looking forward far, far more to next week's episode, where we hopefully really will have some kick-ass naval action to look forward to, which is the main fillip which has kept me watching this series throughout.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova - Episode 7

Its back to the water we go for the start of this week's Arpeggio of Blue Steel, as the I-401 returns to the sea for a journey "home"... and this time, she's bringing a trio of new guests with her.

Upon arriving at Chihaya's carefully hidden dock, Iwoto, it appears that it perhaps wasn't quite so carefully hidden as they have an unexpected guest waiting for them in the form of Takao.  Of course, Takao's goal isn't one of aggression, and although she's unable to verbalise her feelings in front of Gunzou it's very clear that there is nothing to fear from her at this point in time.  It also seems that Chihaya has yet another mental model within the growing crowd surrounding him in the form of Hyuuga, who is set the task of repairing the I-401 - a task which she clearly relishes given her rather, err, "unique" interest in Iona.

Much of this episode is spent either goofing around or getting to grips with the feelings of Gunzou's harem, I mean collection of Mental Models, as they themselves try to fathom how they've ended up in the positions they now occupy.  Either way, none of these ships seem to be particularly keen on fighting for the Fog against humanity, which could give Chihaya an immensely powerful arsenal if those around him side with him during his coming mission to move the vibration warheads in his possession to America.  Needless to say, it isn't looking like an easy journey however.

While I'll openly admit that the early part of this week's episode of Arpeggio of Blue Steel was rather a lot of fun thanks to its comedy leanings, it does also unfortunately serve to undermine any pretensions at serving up a serious story as a result.  With such a collection of battleship-girls around him, this is starting to feel a little like a half-baked harem show, so I really hope that next week's episode can bring us some naval action again - not only because it's what the show does best narratively, but also because it's best suited to the series' CG rendered aesthetic, which really starts to struggle when characters are flinging themselves at one another and trying to act like embarrassed school girls.  It feels as if the laughs are over and we're returning to serious business now, and this certainly seems like the right moment to break with such levity and get down to it, as time is fast running out to bulk up the show's story.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova - Episode 6

Never mind the pair of mental models on their doorstep, the armed forces have only one target in mind as this week's Arpeggio of Blue Steel begins - little kid-cum-artificial intelligence Makie.

Having befriended her however, Haruna in particular has no intentions of letting Makie come to harm at anyone's hands, and thus she sets about attacking the forces which have come to dispatch this child genius.  Protecting Makie is easier said than done when the girl herself demands that Haruna doesn't bring those trying to kill her to any harm, and Haruna's thought processes are further shook up as Makie pulls away from her after realising that she is, in fact, part of the Fog.

Nonetheless, Haruna stands firm in her desire to protect her new friend, creating a decoy to lure troops away so that Makie might escape with some help from Kirishima.  This proves to be easier said than done, and once she realises what's happening Makie similarly refuses to leave Haruna in danger, leading to a dangerous reunion that puts them right in the middle of the concentrated armed forces stacked against them.  With her powers dwindling, all Haruna can do is cry out for help from anyone in a last desperate bid to protect Makie... enter Iona, her crew, and a whole lot of weaponry.

As cool as parts of this week's episode were, I think Arpeggio of Blue Steel would do well to stick to playing in water in future - even at their best there's something far less satisfying about watching the show's Mental Models fighting on land in their human forms (or teddy bear forms, in Kirishima's particularly ridiculous case).  I'll give this episode some credit for continuing to progress the show's story as it pertains to developing the Mental Models characters and sense of human emotion, but I can't pretend that it's highbrow stuff, and I'd still swap any plot development for another tense naval battle or two in an instant.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova - Episode 5

Haruna and Kirishima may have been defeated in last week's episode of Arpeggio of Blue Steel, but they haven't been entirely destroyed, which proves to be an important development in events this week.

Having been discovered unconscious (can an AI be unconscious?), Haruna finds herself in the care of an impressively large and lavish house which seems to be mostly empty but for a made and a young girl named Makie, who instantly takes to Haruna (or Haruharu as she becomes known), dressing her up, messing with her hair and generally treating her like the friend she's never had.  With nothing left of Kirishima but her core, her comrade instead finds herself occupying the body of a stuffed toy, which only further increases Makie's love her these new acquaintances.

Of course, there's more to Makie than just a friendly little kid, and Kirishima is quick to note that the home they're currently residing in is also noted as the base of development for a prototype human weapon, the vibration torpedo (no, I refuse to make any jokes about putting a vibration torpedo into Iona) - a weapon whose gestation is publicly attributed to Makie's deceased father, only this story is anything but true on a couple of counts.  With events unfolding quickly, these two Mental Models are going to have to choose their allegiances, and fast...

As I suspected, this was another episode largely shorn of any naval action (aside from a brief cameo from Takao, which seemed to exist almost as acknowledgment that they hadn't forgotten about "the boat bits"), but on the plus side it did have some surprisingly strong moments of comedy as it brought AI and human child together in an amusing way.  Putting that to one side, the rest of the episode's plot is daft and just begging to have holes picked in it, but I'm not going to do that because I think it's already patently obvious that I'm not watching this show for the plot.  Thus, having enjoyed a few laughs at the hands of this week's instalment, I'm hoping we can get back to blowing up big boats again next Monday.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova - Episode 4

Although it had hardly been a happy homecoming for Chihaya and his crew in the first place, things look set to become a whole lot more uncomfortable as the port of Yokosuka finds itself the subject of a concerted attack by a pair of Fog battleships.

This deadly duo, known as Haruna and Kirishima to Iori, have no qualms about laying waste to everything that they see before them, and with the I-401's supergravity cannon still out of commission and ammunition in short supply as a whole it seems almost suicidal for this single submarine to take on two opponents in a face-off where it's outgunned and outnumbered.

However, Gunzou has no shortage of tricks up his sleeves, most of which come from the fact that this is "home soil" for him and his crew - thus, they use the now-sunken and ruined city of old Yokosuka below the sea as the starting point for an assault that allows them to hide themselves and deploy semi-automated torpedoes.  Although this is small fry to their opponents, it does give them enough trouble to send Kirishima into a rage - with the two battleships combining to use what they expect to be their final attack, literally dragging the I-401 out of the water as they prepare to obliterate it with their supergravity cannon, this offers up exactly the sort of opportunity to deal a surprise final blow that Gunzou has been waiting for.

As per my comments on episode two, this is further evidence of what Arpeggio of Blue Steel does best - never mind that whole "plot" malarkey, just give us a 3D CG-rendered game of battleships filled with tactics, strategy and lots of things blowing up and I'll be more than happy.  This proved to be another hugely enjoyable and occasionally thrilling ride that makes good use of the show's scenario to deliver the goods, while also fitting perfectly with the aesthetic Sanzigen has to offer.  This isn't going to be the kind of series we're talking about for years to come (apart from its use of CG, perhaps), but boy is it great fun to watch when it provides material like this, techno-babble, crazy weapons and all.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova - Episode 3

With Takao defeated in impressive fashion, the I-401 and her crew can continue onto their destination, which marks a return home for Gunzou and company as they dock in the port of Yokosuka, now impressively fortified to protect against the Fog.

With the resupply of food and munitions underway, but the supergravity cannon beyond repair with the materials currently at their disposal, Chihaya leaves the rest of his crew to it to visit a naval graveyard with Iona.  Whilst there, they bump into a young girl who seems to have rather unusually piqued the mental model's interest, but they and the rest of the I-401's crew soon meet a rather less friendly stranger... a group of strangers who seem to want to invite the crew to dinner.  At gunpoint.

All of this is at the behest of an admiral turned prominent politician, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what he wants - to take control of the I-401 away from Gunzou; partly to use it in the fight against the Fog himself, and partly from fear of what might happen were Iona to defect and return to the Fog's side once again.  This isn't exactly the kind of thing Gunzou is likely to agree to, and any thoughts about forcing the matter are interrupted by a Fog attack, which in turn allows Iona to turn the tables on the crew's captors.  Thus, it's off to another battle we go, while in the meantime Takao is now yearning for a certain captain and Iona's counterparts I-400 and I-402 are on the hunt for the information...

Following last week's superb slice of action and tactical naval battles, it was inevitable that we had to return to the story, and probably equally inevitable that said story was all rather predictable as Gunzou finds himself troubled by human opposition as the rest of the plot rearranges itself to provide what is hopefully more of that aforementioned top-notch action.  If we can continue to move between plot progression and engaging naval battles, I'm sure I can forgive some mediocre attempts at the former in return for scintillating moments of the latter.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova - Episode 2

As this second episode of Arpeggio of Blue Steel opens, there's a formidable challenge on the horizon for Gunzou and Iona being posed by the Fleet of Fog.

As a typhoon rages overhead, the threat in question is posed by another of the Fog's war vessels known as Takao, and we join the battle to find that said vessel is unerringly destroying any decoy ships that Iona happens to toss into their opponent's range of detection.  Although the I-401 could try to skirt around Takao to reach their destination port, the danger if being detected and pursued to said port and the subsequent damage risked by both themselves and the surrounding area is simply too much to contemplate - thus, there's nothing for it other than to strike while the iron's hot and attack before the typhoon subsides to grant the absolute advantage to Takao.

Luckily, it seems that Chihaya Gunzou is rather a proficient (albeit reckless) tactician, and thus this entire episode revolves around his attempts to qualify the capabilities of his opponent via some very deliberate manoeuvres which ultimately reveal a surprising truth - that Takao is hiding another Fog vessel that is enabling her to pinpoint them so accurately.  From there, the mission is "simple" - to split up these two vessels; something which proves to be rather easy when you have a supergravity cannon stashed away on your submarine.

I'm not going to lie - I loved this week's episode of Arpeggio of Blue Steel.  To Hell with any broader narrative, diving into the crew's back story or pondering the wider ramifications of this war against the Fog or what they're actually doing on Earth in the first place - I'd be quite happy if this series pushed most of its context to one side and just focused on kick-ass tactical naval battles as this episode succeeded in doing.  The CG largely fitted it well, the soundtrack is great, and the actual action walked the line between gripping and impressively cool with ease.  In other words, this was a lot of fun to watch, and I really hope that the series can continue in this vein to at least some extent as it seems to be what it's likely to excel at.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova - Episode 1

On a future Earth decimated by global warming, things have only been made worse by the appearance of an unidentified alien force known only as the Fleet of Fog who have systematically taken control of the seas and destroyed most human communication capabilities.  In other words, humanity is in rather a tight spot.

There is, however, one hope for mankind, and that's the I-401 - a Fog submarine powered by an artificial intelligence (who of course inhabits the body of a young girl) known as Iona who has ended up serving as a mercenary rebel against her former comrades under the command of a young naval captain.

After showing us what the I-401 can do in action, we rewind to discover the original of the unlikely meeting between boy and submarine with the former, Gunzou Chihaya, the son of a much-lauded captain who died in the last major battle agains tthe Fleet of Fog.  When Gunzou visits the dormant I-401, kept in holding by the navy after appearing out of nowhere one day, his presence immediately awakens Iona, who ultimately has some simple orders - to obey whatever Gunzou commands her to do.  Glimpsing the chance to both avenge his father and turn the tide of the war against the fog, he turns rogue and makes off with Iona (I said makes off, not makes out, okay?  Save that for the doujinshi), leading ultimately to the situation which began this episode.

As opening episodes go, Arpeggio of Blue Steel certainly managed to cover plenty of vital ground - admittedly, the presentation of parts of this origin story were pretty stiff, but there was just enough action and moments of "alien submarines are cool" to get away with it.  The bigger question marks here might well be about the show's all-CG animation, which is wildly variable in quality from really quite impressive in one shot to atrocious the next.  It never quite descends into Miku Miku Dance bad, but... well, we'll see what happens when the animation budget starts to run out.  Overall though, simply seeing what Sanzigen can do with sole control over a TV series after their work on 009 Re: Cyborg is enough to fascinate me, and if it can do that while also offering some big explosions and epic naval battles then that'll be enough to keep me on-board (with every pun intended) for the time being.