Summary:

Based on the research that he’s done on the Valkyrur, Faldio remains concerned about Alicia but still hasn’t figured out what to do. Lamar meanwhile has a hard time adjusting to how Zaka has replaced Isara, but he feels better after talking to Faldio. Over on the side of the Empire, Maximilian reveals to Selvaria and Jaeger that he’s being stripped of the command authority, but he’s not letting that slow him down and is deploying his forces along with Selvaria armed with some special weapons. They and the Gallia military meet in battle on the Naggiar Plain, and while Faldio and Squad 1 see immediate action, Welkin and Squad 7 are kept at the main camp doing support tasks. Cordelia also visits the camp to rally the troops, and she happens to bring along her ceremonial Valkyrur lance and shield. Things look bad for the Gallia side when Maximilian’s massive Batomys tank rolls onto the battle front and starts shelling them, but Faldio notices that the tank’s radiators become exposed after every shot.

Faldio thus has his men concentrate their fire on that, and it successfully slows the Batomys down. Right as it looks like the tide is turning though, Maximilian unleashes Selvaria’s power, and she wipes out an entire line of tanks with one shot. When Faldio tries to organize a counterattack against her, Selvaria fires in a circular motion around her, killing everyone. Faldio is saved only because Lamar pushes him into a trench, but it is at the cost of Lamar’s own life. Faldio doesn’t regain consciousness until after Selvaria has left the battlefield and there’s a lull in the fighting, and he’s picked up by a search team. In shock over the loss, Faldio doesn’t speak to anyone back at camp until Alicia comes to check on him in his tent, and even then, he can only utter her name. Seeing her reminds him of Selvaria, and remembering also the Valkyrur lance and shield that Cordelia brought, Faldio realizes something. It leads to him pulling out his gun and shooting Alicia in the back as she’s walking away from him, and she crumbles onto the ground.

Preview

Wow, that was quite a turn of events. If anyone was going to die, I thought it would have been Faldio, but instead they kill off everyone around him, including the often annoying Lamar (I guess there’s no point in keeping him around if Isara is already dead), and now Faldio seems like a shell of the man he was before. In one fell swoop, he’s has gone from being the guy who was a better protagonist than Welkin to being the guy who’s so unhinged that he shoots Alicia in the back.

At least, I thought he was unhinged at first and had shot Alicia out of new-found hatred towards the Valkyrur, but that didn’t make sense given how he thought of Cordelia’s Valkyria lance and shield and given how he apologized to Alicia before pulling the trigger. Maybe in some weird twisted way, he believes doing this will save lives, or maybe he knows something about her that we don’t. Either way, Alicia obviously isn’t dead yet since we haven’t seen her awaken her powers and since she’s probably the only one who can stand up against Selvaria’s overpowered abilities. It made for a great cliffhanger regardless, and I noticed that the preview doesn’t actually have any shots of her. It does show Faldio looking like he’s back to normal though, so I assume things work out.

53 Comments

  1. Not sure if they’ll mention this, but if you want to know why Faldio shot her… Show Spoiler ▼

    I was surprised that they killed off Lamar though since I thought he would play a key role in the ending since the characters that should be in it were never introduced. Who knows how it will end now…

    aether
  2. Maaan… I want Isara back….
    For some reason, even though I’m more than used to seeing people, kids and others alike, being killed, Isara’s death has struck me severely, to the point that I’m not able to think anything much other than it. And she was a minor major (…what?) character.

    There’s no way she’s coming back, is there?

    Starshade
  3. lol. Omg, that was hilarious! They didn’t have a mystery. It was always Faldio!?!?!!?

    Lame.

    I liked the part where he begs for forgiveness. He even keeps his composure in the Game, even when arrested.
    Poor Lamar though. He could’ve deserved a better death.

    Zero
  4. Ok, they made the shot much more personal than the game…but they already screwed the game over several times anyway so pff. Well Faldio did his duty & now since his whole team is gone his time can come too. Lamar’s death sucked horribly. Don’t they know how to kill off folks in this shit 😛

    Megas
  5. It kind of sucks they made Faldio’s shooting of Alicia so blatantly obvious, it was handled so much better in the game with throwing in a mystery that Welkin had to solve progressively as you plaid, then the whole big shock of when you found out it was Faldio. Nothing like the sting of a close friend betraying your friendship.

    I also wouldn’t go so far as to say it was handled more “personal” then in the game. I’m sure Faldio was anguishing over the fact he shot Alicia in the game, you just never saw it… after all there may have been no romance between the two in the game but she was a friend and he definitely knew it was going to ruin his friendship with Welkin if / when he found out. Shooting some one in the back is also not “personal” either, if it had been face to face and seeing Alicia crumbing in front of him showing a face of confusion and betrayal in her face then you have “personal”.

    Neko
  6. @ Neko: I wasn’t talking about the context of the shot as being ‘personal’. In the game, Faldio sniped her from a few hundred yards away. He could only see the outcome through the scope. Doing it from 10 feet away is much more personal than a few hundred yards. I look at it through the connotation of him seeing her fall right in front of him – by his own hands – being more personal than the scope.

    Context & connotation are 2 different things. I like working with connotation more since it doesn’t give abstract phrases like that such concrete meanings. Its easier to think like that. I can understand your view on the word ‘personal’ by looking at the phrase ‘taking it personal’, but that was no way related to the way I used the word. That’s the minor in psych coming out; I need to push it back in now.

    Megas
  7. In the game Faldio agonized over a hard moral decision, but in the anime he’s simply acting in an enraged state of mind. In the game he worked it, shooting Alicia, over and over in his head as was evidenced by his diary entries. It just feels sort of cheap. Faldio in the game was pretty awesome. A man who felt that hard choices and sacrifices had to be made in order to save the country that he loved.

    The others showed him he was wrong in the end, but that was the lesson to be learned.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Nvenya
  8. gee, being a recruitable from the game seems to mark you for death if your not in squad 7, first vyse, now nils, hermes, mica, wendy, alex, cezary, hebert, rosina and hannes, seems like an uneccesscary punch to the guts for those who’ve played the game, oh well, at least cezary is dead, no one likes that asshole anyways

    blind_dead_mcjones
  9. I haven’t watched the episode yet, but I think I’m liking Faldio’s action here more than in the game. It just seems everyone in the game lacks emotion or something. In here you can see(I’m assuming) the events which forced Faldio to shoot Alicia (having his platoon killed, etc). Not to mention that Faldio also has romantic interest with Alicia. It did ruined the mystery in the game, at least we still have that one twist yet.

    Miko86
  10. Yup, one last, good twist…

    And after that’s over, it just spirals to the nice ending.

    Even though that was also ruined. I liked the twist at the end.
    “Wait… she’s a Darcsen?”
    “Pwned, sucka.”

    Zero
  11. I got a feelin that Alicia may go berserk and attach everyone and welkin is the one to save her. Then Alicia may forget everything and etc. And Faldio may run away and join the other side to fight against the general then he may die at the hands of welkin and etc, LOL

    it may jus hapin. But it did suprise me that she got shot.

    Dragonite88
  12. I knew that if they made Welkin unlikable, then the same would go for Faldio. It will be interesting how they will fit they rest in if it goes as planned. Most likely a several events will be skipped entirely.

    ssj4jw
  13. The whole time I was watching this episode, I kept telling myself they were gonna drag it out and not shoot her until next week or something. And as I was reaching the end, I was like “Aw man, I knew it! They’re not gonna do it.” All of a sudden Alicia walks into Faldio’s tent. Even then, I kept thinking they would at least do it like the game so I hadn’t expected it at all when he shot her.

    Faldio in the game seemed to do it for a more logical reason, not because he was coo-coo from having his squad wiped out.

  14. I bet they killed off Lamar because they needed him to be with Isara. Some kind of “together after death” theme. I can totally see scene where Welkin remembering everyone who died and Isara and Lamar standing together. That will satisfy everybody who want them together.

    ssj4jw
  15. I wish Lamar happy afterlife with Isara… they deserve better than scriptwriters done to them in this anime (lol). I dont understand why would Faldio train with sniper rifle in previous ep just to use in-the-face pistol? Anyway Megas is right, the closer the distance, the more personal is fight. (Thats the reason for carpet bombing of cities being possible)

    ewok
  16. oh god, character assasination right there… Faldio’s rewrite makes even less sense now! But I guess it beats being dragged through the mud like welkins character tho. I think…

    They should have kept Alicias shooter “secret” for a while. Faldio is supposed to be intimidated by Selvarias power but not so much as to be unhinged…

  17. @ssj4jw: If that’s the case, then Michiko Yokote (the screenwriter) missed the boat completely because something key was completely forgotten:

    spoiler>In the game, you had Leon and Kreis (Research, Development & Applied Sciences division) who took the job of piloting the Edelweiss and constructing what is to be Isara’s dream. These 2 guys were not really developed, but you could feel they were both fond of Isara enough to continue what she did because they were close to her.

    In the anime, the closest you had to both guys was made into one: Ramal/Lamar. I really expected him to take over what Leon (mechanic) and Kreis (tank driver) did because it’s important: the Edelweiss not being alone (piloted by the new guy + Zaka getting his Shamrock to make a 2-tank unit) and Isara’s dream which is supposed to be the thing which WILL save the lives of our protagonists at the end in a blazing finish. Now, it’s like I feel like Yokote messed up his last card to bring on the screen that important part.

    That’s why I’m disappointed and mad they killed Ramal when the writer should have given the task of carrying on Isara’s legacy to the next level. To tell you the truth, I am not optimistic about how they can create a final scene worthy of what we had in the game with all the symbolism behind it WITHOUT Ramal.

    About Faldio… that was pathetic of a scene and it really felt CHEAP to make him shoot Alicia with half of his mind completely lost. At least in the game, he took his time to make a crucial and logical decision before going for it; even he managed the sniping shot was nowhere near lethal although this was a very nasty wound (he missed her organs). Where is some of the rational aspect behind that as it was in the game? Nowhere around to be sure.

    KiraYamatoFan
  18. I guess they wanted to put Faldio in a very desperate state. His entire squad is annialated including his his most trusted aide Lamar. If he didn’t awaken Alicia’s powers there was no way they will win.

    roger
  19. Well I have to hand it to the creators, they actually did a part of the storyline I thought was better than the game’s (just a small bit, not the whole battle).

    Show Spoiler ▼

    FX102
  20. Damn spelling error, meant to say:

    “…the element of surprise of who it was and why was lost immediately…”

    Its all about shock and surprises, thats why Isara’s death I thought was so much better in the game as the sniper was never seen till after the shooting.

    FX102
  21. Man. What a rough episode. Starts off with the group thinking they have a chance, and then Selvaria ruins that mood in one fell swoop. She really owned in this episode.

    The ending was such a twist. Faldio spent practically the entire series being in love with her, and after she comes to offer him comfort as a friend, he shoots her? I’m guessing he has a really good reason for doing so. Maybe it’ll help with awakening her powers or something?

    I can only imagine how Welkin will take the news as well. Not only could he not protect his family in Isara, but now the girl he may have feelings for in Alicia? Jeez. I feel bad for Welkin as well.

    Speaking of their relationship of sorts, it was rather ambiguous to what it is. Sure they were much friendlier to each other in this episode and not so ‘business-like’, but is that as far as it stretches? I’m guessing there’s more that we haven’t seen. I hope we seem some more.

    Next episode seems to be more Selvaria kicking ass. People may not like this series as much as the game, but as I’ve never played the game, I’m actually enjoying this somewhat. Not my favorite of all time, but definitely enjoyable. Looking forward to the next episode.

    Akiyama
  22. Gah. Lack of editing powers stinks. Meant to also mention that the loss of Lamar was also very sad as well. It was nice to see him smile once more. At least he’s going to where Isara is. I feel bad for the entire squad. I was questioning why it was the focus of the pre-battle stuff, but now I guess I see why. Such a shame. =[

    Akiyama
  23. I haven’t played the game, but wow to think that they would kill off Faldio’s whole squad. I had a feeling this was going to happen after noticing little things that hint at it. Just when I was starting to like Lamar he had to die in the worse way. Well there goes the whole couple I was hoping to see happen.

    Siege
  24. the astmonphere is no way as heavy as it was when isara died, despite his whole squad got wiped… guess they dont mean much XD. Glad to see a little bit of Hans btw ^.^

    Might have to make a white hair girl on monster hunter using lance now >:)

    brianleung8912
  25. Por las puras, creo que estoy viendo esta serie, aprte del relleno, es igual al ToA(aunque aqui no aumentaron personajes), si has jugado el juego de PS3, esta demas que veas la serie, bueno si es que hay fanservice .)o otro final alternativo, auqnue lo dudo mucho.

    ferslayer
  26. weee… im so excited of what will happen next. im excited for welkin’s reaction. also excited for the unleashing of alicia’s powers.

    btw, have u guys seen the OVA of VC? search it on the gleamstreet. it’s there i downloaded it. i bet the guys are gonna love it.

    Layla-san
  27. Ugh, I hate how they tacked on all this soap opera-ish romance that wasn’t in the game, and are now forced to blitz through half the game in the last 6 episodes. The way they keep changing stuff ‘cuz they didn’t include some characters (The mechanics…) makes me wonder how they plan to end this

    K.K.
  28. I am probably in the minority saying this, but after this episode I like Faldio even more than before. Wouldn’t it be way more interesting if he were the main character, but still decided to shoot Alicia in order to awaken her hidden powers and prevent more deaths on their side? 😀
    I hope that the obvious doesn’t happen and that he actually survives.
    The one person I DO want to die is the cliche bad guy Damon. He serves no other purpose than to annoy us. The game/anime would be better off without such a ridiculous character.

    bobara
  29. bobara// Is Damon an anime-original or was he in the game? Because his very face makes me want to crack his skull. (Especially after seeing how he treated Isara’s memorials in episode 18.)

    Well I always hated Faldio, but this part makes me like him a bit more. Except he was shooting just to awaken Alicia’s powers, not out of mixed feelings.

    Eh, I seem to have seriously different tastes from most people around. Liking Welkin’s portrayal in the anime better, etc etc. I really liked the anime, except for some illogical stuff here and there. And I don’t think I would have disliked it even if I had played and liked the game.

    Starshade
  30. According to wiki he’s also annoying those who play the game. I never played it, so I was just (rightfully) assuming that he was. I don’t know if he’s worse in the game.

    bobara

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