Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova / First Impressions

「硫黄島」 (Iōu tōu)
“Iwoto”

With this episode, we’re officially past the mid-way point. It’s the calm before the storm as the 401 arrive at Iwoto, and it goes to show that even the best fighters need some R&R&R—that is, some rest, relaxation, and repair. It’s not just all R&R&R though, as our favorite heavy cruiser makes her triumphant return, and Hyuuga makes her official debut as well. What this sets up is another fabulous episode of Ars Nova, and really, what else did you expect?

Okay, so I didn’t expect Hyuuga to be the kind of person she ended up being, but considering how well she bounces off Takao this episode, I’ll take it. The whole “TAKAO, SAY IT! CONFESS TO GUNZOU SO I CAN TAKE IONA” segment ends up exceptionally funny, and the constant bickering between the two make this episode worth the price of admission alone. It’s always merrier when you have more however, and Kirishima and Haruna joining the group ends up being akin to having cake and eating it too. It’s quite the party to say the least, and it’s sure to become an even bigger one as Kongou and Maya appear to test the almighty Gunzou’s worth of existence.

With Gunzou in mind, it must be noted that this week also brings the revelation of his true intent. As it turns out, he believes that the vibration warhead will give humanity equal standing with the Fog, and therefore allow for negotiations and coexistence. Suffice to say, it’s interesting to note—even if it isn’t the most original of philosophies. What Gunzou does gain however, is a measure of my respect, as such an achievement would be monumental considering the factors he’ll have to deal with. After all, he’d have to some how get the rest of the Fog to somehow change their views on themselves as merely weapons, and he’d also have to find someway to ensure that those leading humanity don’t try to pursue their own individual interests while they’re at it. That said, it’s arguably likelier that the Fog would be more trustworthy than his fellow humans at this point, and it’s a notion that’s not without its share of irony.

In the meanwhile, Kirishima, Haruna, Takao, and Iona continue their rapid growth—or should I say mutation?—and it all comes to a head as each of them end up either asking about or questioning their existence and purpose. Haruna’s subsequent comment of “we just went along with the flow” culminates this development perfectly, and it all but confirms the mental models’ conversion into something essentially human. Considering how well they’re getting along as a result, it makes you wonder whether or not coexistence between humanity and the Fog is possible after all—especially if you have Gunzou’s group performing the role of a neutral third-party enforcer. The fact that the Fog don’t seem to even know where they came from adds another intriguing twist as well.

Ultimately, there’s only one thing quote to say here, and it’s probably obvious what’s coming up. There’s nothing better to end this post with aside from this, so here we go:

Ever since you slammed your torpedoes into me, I have been unable to live without you.

Oh wait, were you expecting something else?

Full Lengths: 03, 21, 28, 31

 

ED3 Sequence

End Card

89 Comments

    2. Agreed. Ships need love too :3

      I predict after all is said and done, the final episode will have some kind of video montage during the credits of Gunzou and all of the navy battles he had vs. The Fog, with this song played in the background.

      If not, someone will probably slap a video together eventually. I’m looking at you, YouTube.

      Unlucky Star
      Reply

    3. Rebel fleets have assembled at Sullust, erm, Iwo-to!

      ROTFL at Takao with dakimakura!
      And both Takao’s and Hyuga’s delusions were wonderful…
      I am certainly onboard Yuri-class Hyuga X Iona – it is destined to never reach destination, but fun!

      ewok40k
      Reply

    1. Ack, and the end card gives a 404 error message when I try to open it (full-size) in a new window… *sighs*

      Anyway, I just found out that Mikoto Akemi (the illustrator who made the end card) is the artist for Takao and Atago in KanColle, haha.

      His(?) rendition of the “Tsundere Heavy Cruiser” is just as exquisite, though.

      Incognito
      Reply

  4. Another great episode! I really hope that this will end up like we expect: The Battleship Harem Ending! I wish 400 and 402 could join too. 400 is cute 🙂 Triple loli submarines <3

    pahlavi5312
    Reply

  5. Obviously at this point, the transition from manga to anime original is setting sail IMO.

    I must admit…. Takao’s Otome plug-in is definitely set to tsundere and delusional as the default settings. To see Takao’s interaction with Hyuugga is like watching Riko and Maki from Love Lab.

    Plus did anyone notice Shirai Kuroko and Misaka Mikoto in this episode?

    c2710
    Reply

  7. They didn’t screw up the biggest bits of Hyuuga or Takao! And it was just as enjoyable as those scenes were in the manga. Also, I was half-expecting to just listen to the ED and switch to something else, but then; ships. Consider me tickled to see them in rough “poses” as their Mental Models usually are. Too bad they didn’t slow rotate though.

    Anyway, does anyone know where GIF’s of Hyuuga popping out and tackle-hugging Iona, Hyuuga dry-humping Iona, Iona kicking Hyuuga, and Takao drooling as she fantasizes being the flagship may be found?

    Only thing I’m disappointed in was the lack of Maya and her Pianica. I was hoping to hear her sing The Bear song (off-key or not). Also, her Carnival line was moved into a different context, but that’s not important as not having seen Maya acting adorably annoying to Kongou.

    Anon
    Reply

  8. Oh maaaan! Takao. I tend to prefer her standard white dress but that bikini was (drool)…

    And did Hyuga raise a death flag when talking about making a sacrifice for the greater good? Do whatever you want to the rest of the cast just don’t kill the blue pony-tailed Best Ship.

    celebrinen
    Reply

  9. While I liked the manga and was holding my breath for the adaptation once it began changing course, it seems like I can let my breath out. I liked this episode a lot, and for a few moments I felt like I was watching Shirai Kuroko’s antics again while watching Hyuuga. Also lots of dere-Takao :).

    SerRompalot
    Reply

  10. yay! they ncluded my favorite panel from the manga. takao is really adorable hugging that gunzou pillow. and hyuuga is just plain hilarious.

    well, i cant help but be pleasantly amused. while they did diverge completely from the manga now, they were still able to take the core conflicts and injected those into a really great alternate retelling. great work. still hoping that there is a seacond season.

    flamerounin
    Reply

  11. Takaaaaaoooooo! <3<3<3

    'nuff said.

    But Hyuga was just f'ing hilarious. And isn't this the first time in the anime that Iona is actually making actual anime facial expressions? lol

    HalfDemonInuyasha
    Reply

  12. Okay, I must admmit that Gunzou is a bit of an idealist : mass-producing the vibration warhead would not open the way to negociations and coexistence. Instead humans are more likely to declare war on the Fog, and they could win this time since the Fog would no longer be so overwhelmingly powerful… He’s not Code Geass-Suzaku stupid, but I expected better.

    Honestly, Hyuuga humping Iona was hilarious, I’m glad this part was animated. Abit disappointed that there were no mini-Takaos, but that swimsuit makes up for it.

    Next… will Maya and Kongo join Gunzou’s battleship harem?

    weird d
    Reply

    1. Will Maya and Kongo join Gunzou’s battleship harem you ask?

      Well, they’re going to have what’s likely to be a very intense, battle to the death with each other in the next episode. So judging from past events it’s pretty much 100% guaranteed.

      Unlucky Star
      Reply

  17. This is without a doubt, a transition episode. The usual ‘What am I’ theme, the meat of it all is the introduction of Hyuuga. I am at least hopeful in Kamikage remaining to be the ‘politician of lesser evil’ as I predicted before. besides that, and one or two errors in animation, it went well. It was the obligatory beach episode (although shorter than most and filled with a back and forth dialogue on duty and existence), a breather of sorts to wrap up the first arcs of the anime, before getting into the action packed end.

    I am also amazed at how well the first half of the episode followed closely to the manga (although Hyuuga humping Iona may had been bordering to NSFW), Takao being all Tsundere. The injection of Iona as a love interest rather than a partner in crime is a little unsettling to me, but no doubt needed due to the fact the anime seems to be taking the general gist of the source material and then cherry picking and doctoring everything else to make a stand alone production. So we shall see, yes?

    http://rightwingotaku.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/aoki-hagane-no-arpeggio-ars-nova-episode-7-iwoto/

    Jusuchin (Military Otaku)
    Reply

    1. @Longhaul: FYI, the hybrid design/conversion was a complete failure. The converted Hyuuga (and sister ship Ise) held only 14 Yokosuka D4Y dive bombers and eight Aichi E16A seaplanes. The planes had to be launched by catapult (which is a slow process), even worse had to land on either a conventional carrier or land airstrip. A crane had to be used to bring them back on board the Hyuuga. Furthermore, by the time the conversions were completed, attrition and aircraft production limitations meant that Hyuuga never even received a full allotment of aircraft. Complete waste of time and scarce resources, but the IJN was desperate after losing four large carriers at Midway.

      daikama
      Reply

  23. “Since that day a year ago when you slammed your torpedoes into me, I, the fast battleship, Hyuuga, can no longer live without you in my life!”

    -Hyuuga, 2013

    Hyuuga would love to be part of Gunzou’s battleship harem, because naturally it would include access to Iona. Plus, she’s clearly a M. Every harem needs at least one.

    Unlucky Star
    Reply

  24. awesome chapter, really funny and showed a loot of character development!

    lol and it had Takao!

    and Hyuuga (yeah she resembles Matsu, from Sekirei, a lot)

    ..also .. so many naughty jokes that can be made.. omg lol lost count.

    PS1: Tsundere Takao? sorry i must have missed it.. her Dere side overwelmed me! (sooo much Dere Takao .. nice)

    PS2: soo Blue Fleet, they got: 3 fast battleships , 1 heavy cruiser and 1 submarine… they gotta get lots and lots of nano-material!

    PS3: yeh… Hyuuga is a little “mental” over Iona … hah those delusions (“..when you slammed your torpedoes into me..” ..almost chocked myself on my water!), Takao doesnt run far behind.. those delusions about Gunzou …(“..even my engines” lo)

    PS4: Iona is cute… but im all aboard the Takao Ship! .. or cruiser? w/e!

    inanis
    Reply

      1. heh

        “Cruisers” just seemed to sound more formidable. Probably because I was influenced by Starcraft’s battlecruiser being terran’s strongest unit.

        So that would mean Takao is the weakest of them all.

        flCer
        Reply

      2. @flCer

        Not sure about the fog ships but the Kongo class (irl) had significantly heavier armament and armour than the Takao class. I’ve heard the Takao’s described as “glass cannons”, good armament for it’s class but lightly armoured so it can take a lot of punishment. I believe Takao’s were meant to be flagships for groups of destroyers.

        celebrinen
        Reply

      3. ^^ No, Iona is, despite having sunk Hyuuga. The I-400 class was a submersible aircraft carrier, with only three planes and a handful of torpedoes. Iona (in-series) was modified into an attack sub, but going purely by her specs, is still far inferior to a cruiser. That’s why even the Fog makes a big deal out of Gunzou sinking so many of their heavy ships.

        Shiden
        Reply

      4. @Celebrinen: That’s incorrect. The Takao class actually had better anti-torpedo armor than their previous class. They were no more “glass cannons” than any other heavy cruiser. They were very well armed. Not only did they sport ten 8″ guns (one more than standard Allied CAs), but also a torpedo battery of 16 x 24″ tubes which gave them an additional punch that no Allied cruiser could come close to matching as the Takao class heavy cruiser Chokai demonstrated during a naval battle off Savo Island.

        Overall, the Takao class is considered a very successful design, albeit a little top heavy, and arguably the best IJN heavy cruiser design of WWII. If anything, the following IJN heavy cruiser design, the Mogami class, were “glass cannons” having less armor compared to the previous Takao class.

        daikama
        Reply

      5. @Daikama
        Granted, great armament and decent armour on the sides but not well protected from vertical attacks and her main guns were vulnerable, only an inch thick plate on the turrets I think.

        celebrinen
        Reply

      6. @celebrinen: Compared to later US designs such as the highly successful Baltimore class (commissioned starting in mid 1943), yes the Takao class’ deck and turret armor were thin, but they were in-line with ships designed at the same time (i.e late 1920s). Don’t forget that the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and 1930 London Naval Treaty placed displacement restrictions on naval vessels, including heavy cruisers, which impacted design.

        Furthermore, as a general rule in terms of deck armor, almost all pre-WWII designed ships were lacking in that department simply because they were designed to primarily defend against torpedoes and linear gun fire rather than less accurate plunging fire or aerial strikes. The battlecruiser HMS Hood is a perfect example of that.

        The USN New Orleans class CAs (designed about 3 years after the Takao class) had roughly 1″ more deck armor, but only 1/2″ more turret armor. Even so, the additional armor didn’t help the Astoria and Quincy (both New Orleans class) during the Battle of Savo Island. Both were sunk while Chōkai (sister ship to Takao) survived with only the loss of one turret despite taking several direct hits from both Astoria and Quincy.

        I’m not saying that the Takao class was the absolute best CA design of WWII (IMO that’s the US Baltimore Class), but it was proven to be a successful CA design – considered by some experts as the best heavy cruiser class the IJN had during WWII. They were fast, even compared to CLs, and the additional torpedo tube armament proved very effective when combined with the Long Lance torpedo. (OT, but my guess is that the disastrous US Mark 14 torpedo didn’t encourage such adaptations for US cruisers). Even with the mentioned armor deficiencies, Takao managed to survive the war (AFAIK, only one of three IJN heavy cruisers to do so).

        In short, I agree that the class’ deck and turret armor could stand improvement, but given all the above, IMO “glass cannon” is too extreme of a description and downplays the class’ actual success during the war.

        daikama
        Reply

    2. @flCer: In terms of pure one one one battle strength, battleships (BB) are/were stronger than heavy cruisers (CA) as their name would suggest. After all, they were designed for ship vs. ship gun fights. For WWII, generally destoyers (DD) mounted 5″ main guns, light cruisers (CL) had 6″ main guns, CA 8″ main guns, battle cruisers (BC) 12″-14″ main guns and depending upon age, BB 14″ or larger main guns. The Yamato class had the largest caliber main guns of any battleship produced at 18.1″ while other nations’ BBs topped out at 16″ main guns for BBs. BTW, battle cruisers, as the name suggests, are a hybrid of cruisers and battleships.

      Keep in mind that class lines, particularly around the CA/BC classes were blurred at times. For example, the USN Alaska class cruisers were designated as “Large Cruisers” (CB) though they are easily considered BC class with their three turrets of triple mounted 12″ guns and large (by CA standards) displacement. The Kriegsmarine’s “pocket battleships” (term coined by the British) such as the “Admiral Graf Spee” were officially designated heavy cruisers though their size, armor and main gun caliber (11″) also cross into BC territory.

      FYI, the Kongo class ships (Kongo, Haruna, Kirishima and Hiei) were designed as and originally classified as BCs with 14″ main guns. After reconstruction in the late 1930’s they were reclassified as “fast battleships” as their flank speed topped 30 knots.

      To make it simple, strictly in terms of firepower & armor BB > BC > CA > CL > DD. Also standard battleships theoretically > fast battleships because fast battleships trade armor for speed. Of course the above doesn’t mean a BB will always defeat a BC or even CA (with a lucky hit resulting fires spreading to magazines) in a battle. Even a DD can take out a BB if they get a good hit with torpedoes.

      @C2710: I disagree with your assessment that heavy cruisers were “just in between with mediocre armouring and firepower for their size and type.” The were designed that way on purpose, and their speed allowed them to escort fast carrier groups. There’s a reason that navies continued to build CAs during WWII along with other classes of gunships rather than all battleships (even including fast battleships).

      daikama
      Reply

    3. There is also the role each ship has to play in the fleet.

      This is very simple and basic:

      Destroyers take on subs.
      Light cruisers take on destroyers.
      Heavy cruisers take on light cruisers and destroyers.
      Battle cruisers take on heavy cruisers, light cruisers, and destroyers.
      Battleships take on everything except subs.

      This doesn’t take into account escort, raiding, shore bombardment, anti-aircraft, blockading, or picket duties. And as pointed out by others, a destroyer could take out a battleship if they hit it with torpedoes in the right place.

      With Takao’s experience, she is a rogue element.

      Show Spoiler ▼

      rh75
      Reply

  31. It’s nitpicky, but they flubbed Kongou’s fleet at the end. When Hyuuga was checking out the approaching fleet, we see that it’s Kongou + 6 Nagara-class cruisers. However, Iona sunk Nagara in the first episode, and only six ships of the class were built (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagara-class_cruiser), so who’s the seventh? Maybe one of them was supposed to be Maya?
    They also switched the ship counts. “Nagara Class Light Cruiser ‘Kongou'” and “Kongo Class Battlecruiser ‘Nagara'”
    ..oops.

    Shiden
    Reply

    1. @Shiden: With all due respect,given massive changes to the source material the anime has made already, I wouldn’t even bother thinking about that sort of stuff. They probably included Maya since she has a completely different role in the anime along with the other changes.

      daikama
      Reply

      3. As long there are Nano Particles, and a Core AI that construct these Ships. (Perhaps they could even build other things, like Planes or so). No Human (in our case Manga) rules should apply.

        Germanguy
        Reply

      4. I have no problem with them including Maya. Even switching the names I can write off as a typo (if it makes it into the BD’s, on the other hand…)
        But considering how every Fog ship is supposed to correspond to a real-world WWII ship, the presence of a seventh Nagara-class bothers me way more than it probably should.

        Shiden
        Reply

  33. https://randomc.net/image/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2003.jpg

    https://randomc.net/image/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2011.jpg

    https://randomc.net/image/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2028.jpg

    YES PLEASE.

    Kurisu Vi Britannia
    Reply

  34. and i wonder, that a Old Men, the next Prime Minister, are already have power of the Army. What is also the current Prime Minister doing? Playing Puppet?

    But, i dont wanna know. Perhaps Politics is here not the right place

    Germanguy
    Reply

    1. Perhaps the Fog appear as World Savior, right before Humanity started WW3 or so. they come and crush all “military world” into Babys. And forced the WW3 down to extension. How knows

      i write this, with the speak of them in the Office.

      Germanguy
      Reply

  39. “With Gunzou in mind, it must be noted that this week also brings the revelation of his true intent. As it turns out, he believes that the vibration warhead will give humanity equal standing with the Fog, and therefore allow for negotiations and coexistence. Suffice to say, it’s interesting to note—even if it isn’t the most original of philosophies.”

    This and Gunzou’s propensity for unorthodox tactics are why he reminds me of Tavi from Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera.

    For those of you who haven’t read it, you should. Go do it, now. I’ll wait. =P

    r2b2grady
    Reply

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