First Impressions / Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse

「深緑」 (Shinryoku)
“Deep Green”

In a time when humanity should focus on bringing together all its knowledge,
a mistaken mindset is threatening the noble purpose behind the Prominence Project!
And this mindset is pervasive in the Blue Flag exercises!
The Eishi participating in the exercises are obsessed with victory over one another,
and have come to view each other as the enemy.

And so I have come up with a plan to put an end to this foul trend!
Violent impulses should be curbed in a productive and healthy manner.
And the person to make this happen is YOU, Lt. Takamura!

For the most part, that’s pretty much what the episode was about in a nut shell. Directed by the awesome Lt. Orson, our main protagonists take a break from all their “violent impulse” laden exercises in an attempt to do something healthy and productive. I’m not quite sure if being videotaped for a propaganda—wait I seem to have forgotten something… oh right, the hot springs. Yes, I take that back. I suppose the beneficial effects of hot springs have been well documented up until this point, so I guess it is scientifically sound… heh.

Either way, the bottom line is that this week we get what is pretty much the standard fanservice affair. We got some messing around, lesbian fantasies, some muscle action for the ladies, giant doses of half nude Eishi, and some down right hilarious moments.

And you know what? Now that you think about it, this episode was pretty decent considering its content. Some moments were actually quite hilarious for one and the whole concept seemed to be some kind of self-parody too. I mean, I’m pretty sure people out there at this point are like “man, can’t believe they’re doing this ego wagging tourney with human lives at stake.” With this in mind, what this episode does is just intentionally highlight that, then twist it even further by doing something even more ridiculous. People just take a lot of things quite seriously these days (especially in the anime industry) and it’s just hard to really strike a nice balance between taking your own series too seriously and giving it some freedom to flow. The episode itself is arguably strange in where it takes place chronologically, but the things it did execute within were admittedly entertaining to watch and fairly well done. It only helps that they also snuck in some hints and commentary on the development of Yui and Bridges, as well as some aspects regarding Leon too.

Moving on, next week it looks like we’ll be getting another special episode to bridge the gap between the Blue Flag arc and what I would think is the final arc. It seems like they’ll be taking the animated series near the end of the source material that is currently out at the moment, then setting things up for the PS3/360 game releasing in February. Remember, the current source material has yet to actually finish the story despite the fact that it has stopped, and the game will contain the ultimate ending to the Total Eclipse story. Sadly, English speaking fans (like myself) will most likely be left out as a result of this arrangement… but alas, that is life. The question remains how exactly they’ll end the final arc in some satisfactory way though, as I have heard there are few points from which to properly do so in the coming arc. Guess we’ll see.

Note: If there is a sub that comes out around Sunday/Monday next week for the special, then I’ll go ahead and do a post about it. If not, then it’s likely we won’t get a subbed version any time soon and I’ll most likely just insert a few caps of the special in the post the week after (whoo, new OP/ED!), so don’t be surprised if there’s no post next week.

Full-length images: 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 29, 34.

 

Preview

58 Comments

    1. Swinsuit? You mean “sin”suit! Wow, the ladies are HOT! And I’m not talkin about the springs they were sensually bathing in.

      Yui is so cute walking in with just a towel. She’s so…so…

      Uh, oh…naught thoughts a brewin’ (>.<)

      Horus
      Reply

    1. You know, I can actually help with that considering I preordered the PS3 LE. I’ll see what I can do, but there’s gonna be a ton of editing and typesetting… (or I can use YT’s annotations)

      Sol
      Reply

  5. Seems that Inia knows how go directly to the source without worrying about being naked. Heck if Cryska didn’t start blushing she might of stayed in there. I bet that’s Yuuya’s first naked woman he ever saw.

    SilentCid
    Reply

  6. DAT HOTSPRING

    DAT YURI SCENE

    DOSE SWIMSUITS

    DAT CUI YIFEI

    DAT NAKED CUI YIFEI

    DAT NAKED YUI

    DAT TARISA

    DAT TARISA BELLY

    DAT STELLA

    DAT NAKED CRYSKA

    DAT NAKED BLUSHING CRYSKA

    DAT “BIG WAVE”

    DAT “VG”

    DAT “GO SOFT ON ME”

    DAT FUCKING CENSORING >:O

    By the end of this episode…..

    “I CAN FLLLYYYYYYYY” -Orito (Kore Wa Zombie Desu Ka? Of the Dead)

    *Coughs* I wasn’t ready for the intensity this episode….If only they’d show clips on the next episode I MIGHT’VE been ready….

    swordhack4
    Reply

    1. F**K YEAH

      FREEDOM IS THE ONLY WAY YEAH!!!!!
      ….
      ..
      …
      ….?

      Sorry that was just a bit of a relapse -.-”
      I guess I’ll enjoy myself a bit when I see this episode tomorrow morning….. That did sound a bit weird didn’t it 😀

      Tonameki
      Reply

    1. This was pretty much a fun, joke episode but yeah I agree. In the beginning, she would kinda just stalk Yuuya around, wait for the perfect moment, belittle him, then disappear. Seriously, she’d come and go out of nowhere, like she was freakin Team Rocket. Then the beach episode happens and all of a sudden she’s wondering why she and Yuuya don’t have a more friendly relationship. Well, maybe it’s because you questioned his manhood at every opportunity you got. And now… jesus. I don’t even. But I realize now that the show isn’t supposed to be taken as seriously as it was in the first couple of episodes. Just go with it. For me, these episodes are just filler until the BETA confrontations.

      ploon
      Reply

  11. https://randomc.net/image/Muv-Luv%20Alternative%20Total%20Eclipse/Muv-Luv%20Alternative%20Total%20Eclipse%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2001.jpg

    GAH!!! IT’S WESKER AGAIN!!!!

    https://randomc.net/image/Muv-Luv%20Alternative%20Total%20Eclipse/Muv-Luv%20Alternative%20Total%20Eclipse%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2005.jpg

    https://randomc.net/image/Muv-Luv%20Alternative%20Total%20Eclipse/Muv-Luv%20Alternative%20Total%20Eclipse%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2036.jpg

    Heaven and its angels!! <3

    HalfDemonInuyasha
    Reply

  14. That was more entertaining than I thought. Its incredibly silly, but its the special kind silly that Muv-Luv likes to do when it isn’t killing beloved characters.

    They did at least put some new spins on the Hot Spring cliche. Like having Guylos act as a bodyguard for the ladies (How many animes do that anyway). The funniest part was how Yuuya was mistaken for a lolicon by the guys. I also had no idea that Yui was yuri bait, but I’ll take it!

    fragb85
    Reply

    1. You mean ML Extra silly? Coz I don’t really remember Alternative being that silly.
      If this was Alternative, then the episode would have ended with a BETA attack and a hotspring full of dead bodies. 😀

      boingman
      Reply

    1. Errr… the alien invasion occurred before the series started… and you’ve seen first hand some of the BETA in some of these episodes. You have to remember this is a side story, not the actual one, and in this case, TSF Development is something that takes the forefront.

      As for randomness, aside from this random onsen episode, I don’t see what you mean. Seems like typical anime arc progression to me.

      Zephyr
      Reply

    1. I think it’s more the fact that he’s just…mechasexual right now. I mean, the anime has hinted heavily that he and Sharon seemed to have something going on in the past, so maybe after Sharon no one compares?

      lol who knows

      EmD
      Reply

  19. And so Yuuya discovers the wonders of the female body… kinda

    “What was that just now?”
    Answer: a breast you moron!

    I swear, that guy gets all the luck anddoesn’t even appreciate it. Last time it was Stella in a barely-closed bathrobe, and two hot ladies in swimsuits.

    I hope the BDs will be out soon, so we can ‘enjoy’ this episode more.

    Weird D
    Reply

    1. Well, in Yuuya’s defense, he IS a total TSFcon, and having focused so much on them, he’s forgotten what a human female is. He is so used to simply feeling control sticks in his hand that feeling anything soft like that would appear very alien to him.

      After all, don’t forget that he had someone like Sharon before…yeah…lol

      HalfDemonInuyasha
      Reply

  20. Among all the men, Lt Orson is one of the few that got to see all the women in all their glory. Cui, Yui, Iniad and Cryska naked! Argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes my heart burn to see him seing them in their natural beauty while we got the freaking fog! Someone please kill him! No one should be that lucky!

    TQ

    KF
    Reply

  21. 19eps & counting yea this is just another relax ep in camping with hot spring, yuri tease, & etc.

    why do i feeling keep it up yea yuuya get lots of of female harem & might get all “knocked up”?

    elu
    Reply

  24. That thing mentioned about everything taken too seriously? I totally agree, especially with the viewers and fans. It’s quite a breakaway from the normally serious stuff the show’s made of IMO, and narrow-minded people would find it difficult to stomach. It goes without saying I liked the episode. =3

    P.S We need more of embarrassed Cryska.

    Owaranai
    Reply

    1. True, I admit that’s exactly how I felt about this episode. Sure, I like the fanservice, but for several episodes now I am waiting for Argos vs Infinities, so this episode is making the wait longer.
      Remarkably, most of the hot spring scenes were devoid of QUALITY. 😉 Hopefully they have some money left for the TSF fights.

      I am still playing/reading the MLA VN. Show Spoiler ▼

      boingman
      Reply

      3. Pulled an all nighter and finally finished the Muv-Luv Alternative VN. My first thoughts:
        Beware of MAJOR SPOILERS.
        Show Spoiler ▼

        boingman
        Reply

      4. Welcome to post-MLA depression syndrome club!

        Show Spoiler ▼

        zeroyuki92
        Reply

  25. The cast have some hot springs hijinks for the calm before the storm in this hilarious episode of Total Eclipse.

    You want to know why only Yui, Cryska, and Inia had to pose for those pictures in the beach arc and Yuuya didn’t? It’s because Lt. Orson has specific tastes, and they don’t include male fanservice. Sure to a degree it’s abusing his position, but at the very least he had a good justification for the event. And I’d say overall it worked, each of the Flights seemed to act a bit more comfortable around one another away from all the competition in the Blue Flag Exercises. And on a personal note, I can’t deny that I didn’t enjoy seeing Yui in a bath towel and the rest of the female cast in swimsuits… in that regard, I give my thanks to Lt. Orson. I only hope he doesn’t have a wife somewhere who thinks he actually takes his job seriously.

    This episode marks the first time the entirety Yuuya’s harem has been together in one place, and each member got their fair share of focus and time with our resident chick magnet. Yui is slowly trying to build a rapport and understanding with him, though her tsundere side creeps out when she gets jealous of his moments with the other girls. Cui is of course her gut-punching , forward self, and establishes that out of the rest of the girls she’s probably the least likely to win Yuuya through food. Cryska is acting more on her feelings for Yuuya, blushing around him and competing with her own sister for him, while still not truly understanding what those feelings are. I don’t know whether I should count Tarisa anymore, since she seemed all shipper on deck for Yuuya/Yui with the rest of Argos, while she had the complete opposite reaction in Kamchatka. I think what happened with Inia was pretty much self-explanatory.

    I can’t help but wonder who had the worst hot spring adventure: Takeru or Yuuya. On the one had, Takeru had to deal with a drunk harem, two girls indirectly confessing their feelings to him, and naked women. While Yuuya had to deal with getting punched, poisoned, being pegged for a lolicon just when he and his rival were having a moment, and naked women. Though at least Yuuya was finally able to get a Dere Cryska. Now I have an immense desire to see the hilarity that would ensue from seeing the Total Eclipse cast, and by extension Yuuya’s harem, drunk out of their minds. That would’ve made the episode.

    We even got some focus and characterizations for some of the side characters, like Gilga… I mean Guylos of the Infinites, and Yui’s harem/the Bridge Bunnies. Who would’ve thought that the Yoko Hikasa voiced operator would be into Yuri?

    I find it amusing that Vincent and VG teamed up against Guylos, especially since Vincent has consistently been pissed off with VG’s luck with women. When a Holy Grail lies near, men will stand together, no matter how much they may hate each others guts, to obtain it. That scene and the one with the girls interacting seemed to establish pairings that I think may carry over into the fight between Argos and the Infinites, the pairings being Stella and Tarisa vs. Sharon, VG vs. Guylos, and leaving the obvious Yuuya vs. Leon.

    Speaking of rivalries, this episode marks the first time Yui and Cryska have interacted with each others since the beach arc. And it looked like at the end that Yui may have realized Cryska’s feelings for Yuuya, setting the stage for the true beginning of the love triangle. I’m hoping to see more interaction between those two in the coming episodes.

    All in all a really enjoyable episode. I have no idea if the special next week even counts as a real episode of Total Eclipse, but I’ll be looking forward to seeing if anything interesting comes out of it.

    Frontier
    Reply

  26. you gotta love hot springs action…
    1.oblivous Yuuya is oblivious
    2.Inia getting her loli moves to get between Yuuya and Yui
    3.Bridge bunny and her Yuri visions!
    4.Lethal chinese food by Cui!
    5.Yui being THE only one not told to bring swimsuit!
    6.Pervert team getting squashed – in style!
    7.Yuuya and Leon being only mechasexuals – tot he extent of not even thinking about girls side – on the mens side 😛 No wonder some girls have yaoi thoughts about them…
    8.Inia blatantly using oli tactics to get Yuuya into hot water
    9.Cui’s face when she was “Why didnt I try it?” about getting into Yuuya’s bath – priceless!
    TL;DR – hot springs = fanservice and fun!

    ewok40k
    Reply

  27. Has your world been invaded by scary aliens? Is humanity and civilization, as you know it, on the verge of extinction? Well, fret not! The military will be there to save the day!
    …right after they come back from the obligatory hot springs episode; oh, and after they recap the series, too!

    Mormegil
    Reply

  29. Totally not expecting this episode…

    and I should say this is a good episode, since it’s totally far much better than the beach arc. Also, it’s the first time MLTE comedy really hits and a good episode for calm before the storm…

    Yeah, it’s totally a Muv-Luv style. Now I’m exited for the final arc…

    zeroyuki92
    Reply

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