ALDNOAH.ZERO / First Impressions

「ヴォスタリスクの攻防 -Wind, Snow and Stars-」 (Novuosutarisuku no Kobo -Wind, Snow and Stars-)
“Battle of Novosibirsk -Wind, Snow and Stars-“

That was one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen.  And I watch anime!

We’re at the point now where "suspend disbelief" has pretty much been ass-kicked and left for dead at the side of the road.  I’m no sure which is sillier, the sheer logistical impossibilities or the preposterous character arcs (I know which is more exasperating for me), but it’s becoming clear that in order to derive the most enjoyment out of Aldnoah.Zero I’m just going to have to abandon all pretense of intellectual involvement, turn off 90% of cerebral function and appreciate the considerable stylistic flourish and sheer bombast.

In an episode where a 130 CM loli driving a Humvee like a professional soldier isn’t even the silliest moment, you know you’re in for a hell of a ride.  What do I cede that title to?  There are so many contenders, but I think the winner would have to be Rayet’s complete and unearned redemption a mere episode after her vicious and unprovoked attempt on Asseylum’s life.  It was predictable but disheartening nonetheless, and you could almost hear credibility sputtering its last breath with Asseylum’s delighted reaction to seeing Rayet manning the Kataphrakt running alongside her.  So long plausibility, it was nice knowing you.

So if the series is basically over on the character side, that leaves us with the action.  And it’s good, damn good – especially when the soundtrack kicks in.  But forgive me for saying so, but couldn’t one have made that same statement about Guilty Crown?  I suppose one can watch Eddie driving a vehicle in which her feet could not possibly touch the pedals, and doing so with supreme precision, and not be bothered by it.  I still feel like even in a far-fetched acton pic the writing owes the audience a certain amount of effort at actually making sense, but I guess that’s a personal choice.

Then we have Inaho in full Marty Stu mode, with the entire assembled Earth military obediently taking orders from him.  That’s old news in Aldnoah by now, of course, but I don’t think we’ve ever seen it illustrated quite so starkly.  If nothing else we’re seeing the unmasking of Inaho – the facade is not a mask, it’s his real face.  Sadly, Slaine continues to be pretty irrelevant to the action at this point – he’s taken a transport and raced to Earth as soon as he hears Saazbaum’s men confirm Asseylum’s location, but just as he gets there the Deucalion has blasted the escape hatch open with its own missiles and lifted off.  In addition to torture porn and possible NTR, it appears poor Slaine is fated to suffer a perpetual case of narrative blue balls.

For me, what’s still working is the music video side of things and the sociopolitical aspect of the story.  As Marito points out, what Saazbaum is doing here is classic pre-industrial military strategy – invade in overwhelming numbers, claim as your own, and leave no one to complain about it.  I really like this idea of a society with far-future technology and medieval cultural values, and Aldnoah is doing a good job of showing just what a nightmare that would be.  Of course it’s also doing a good job of pulling off beautiful set pieces set to beautiful music.  Using the Deucalion as a battering ram is old hat in dramatic terms, but it’s nicely brought off (though the lack of an explosion when it impacted the landing castle is a bit odd, and suggests plot armor kicking in for the many named characters still on-board).

The question, really, is where Aoki-sensei and the Takayama-sensei take things from here.  There’s not a whole lot left for Earth, at least superficially – their HQ has been wiped out, their Aldnoah-powered battleship destroyed, and seemingly little infrastructure remains intact.  If indeed there is a second cour – which until I see officially confirmed I take as a strongly-supported rumor – is it destined to be a story or a ragged Earth resistance fighting an occupying Martian government on Earth?  At the least I hope the perpetual C.T. with Slaine comes to a close, and he’s allowed to advance to the next stage of his character arc – which would presumably be finally meeting Inaho and Asseylum face-to-face.  But there’s me starting to worry about character again, and that’s almost certainly a mistake…

Zephyr’s Quick Impressions:

No matter what qualms you might have about the character development (which ends up a hit/miss again), you can’t deny ALDNOAH.ZERO knows how to entertain, and it’s a popcorn episode if I’ve ever seen one. We get Saazabaum wrecking both United Earth HQ and the Deucalion in the span of half an episode, epic Kataphrakt drops led by Inaho (who else), and so many missiles fired that the cost was probably equivalent to the GDP of some small countries. Put it together with the hallmark tracks of Sawano’s OST (aLIEz, Keep on Keeping On to name a few), and you’ve got the recipe for a series that’s consistently fun to watch, especially when you have Asseylum herself involving herself personally. Of course, a little “comedy” goes a long way—I’m looking at you, Mr. “only the cowards get shot.”—and all in all, this episode really makes me realize how much I’ve missed series filled with piew piew and explosions.

That said, things generally end up straightforward aside from the unexpected shoot down of the Deucalion and Slaine’s lack of involvement in everything this week, and it looks like we’ll be left off next week with what should be Saazabaum’s defeat. All things considered, I’d be surprised if Slaine doesn’t end up piloting the Tharsis—following a chance meeting with Asseylum to activate it—and honestly, there’s no real alternative considering that one of the Terran’s last bastions (if not the last) has been devastated, the Terrans’ symbol of hope in the Deucalion isn’t in good shape, and the other Orbital Knights undoubtedly itching for their own share of the fight.

The fact is, there’s only so much devastation the Terrans can take without another wild card being necessary to ensure their survival, and the stars are aligning in a way that all but confirms Slaine as that wild card. It took a long winding route to get here, but his time’s coming, and it could very well be that he ends up defeating Saazabaum. I wouldn’t be surprised if both Inaho and Asseylum end up being saved by him as a result and join forces afterwards, and I guess we’ll see. One thing’s for sure, and it’s that ALDNOAH.ZERO’s first cour’s going to end with a bang.

248 Comments

    1. Give a thumbs up if you think Slaine is cursed to eternally arrive late to rescue his princess. You see poor bastard, that´s why you´re not the hero, the hero always arrives at the right time, such a rookie mistake.

      haseo0408
      Reply

      1. https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2038.jpg
        “What I wanna know is why my sister keeps questioning me even though I saved their butts several times over!”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2002.jpg
        “She’s right you know, your plan is crazy.”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2015.jpg
        “Does anyone have a better idea other than standing around and getting shot? You know, the usual operating procedure.”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2016.jpg
        “Ah………..”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2037.jpg
        “Mm………”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2020.jpg
        “Nada.”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2035.jpg
        “Harumph.”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2008.jpg
        “I’m waiting to hear from…oh wait he just died…”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2009.jpg
        “what was that about standing around getting…”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2011.jpg
        BOOM!

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2001.jpg
        “don’t ask us, we’re just playing cards.”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2026.jpg
        “That’s what I thought.”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2028.jpg
        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2031.jpg
        “THIS PLAN IS CRAZY!! THIS PLAN IS CRAZY!!”

        Impel Down Hippo
        Reply

      4. https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2005.jpg
        “Sir we detected a large fleet that just jumped out from hyperspace and multiple projectiles incoming”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2035.jpg
        “Seriously… I thought I told you to jump FURTHER away from the Rebel base…”
        “Prepare my shuttle, I’m going down to find Leia”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2016.jpg
        “We’re abandoning Hoth now. All hands to the ships. X wings prepare to sortie”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2027.jpg
        “The Rogues and Reds would provide escort and screening for the evacuating ships. The ion cannon will disable the destroyers?

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2014.jpg
        “We launch immediately”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2013.jpg
        “Contact Executor and the fleet. Let them know what’s coming their way”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2034.jpg
        “Activate hyperdrives… Oh shit…”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2036.jpg
        “We’ve been hit by the Executor!”

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2037.jpg
        “Set course for their bridge. We’ll ram their bridge”

        ———-

        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2001.jpg
        “Oi RC readers… We’re Aldnoah Zero…. This ain’t The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi!!! Get your show right!!!!”

        Makise Kuristina
        Reply

  3. -A very through recap for the first part…almost as if this and ep 10 last week was supposed to be aired together.
    -Welp, colony drop assault on the UNHQ is on, and they won, rather quick too.
    -Confirmation for the conditions for the aldnoah drive’s activation /deactivation with one’s death and interference of higher authority.
    -Gosh, is Inaho bluntly straight on a lot of things…though using a decoy for “stealth” entry, nice quick thinking.

    https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2032.jpg
    -YES! MOAR MMM!!! (And it’s the real deal this time!) (Oh yeah, one heck of a combat sequence overall.)

    -to quote Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse.”

    “best-laid plans of mice and men oft(en) go astray”

    Plan A with the princess in a Kat got nixed early. Plan B? Just make one up with dropping the Deucalion instead. Who would’ve expected the BB to crash into the lander castle?

    ps. Who think’s Asseylum going to control the 2 seater mech by herself next week? (a pettiful wish, I know) At least not a Death flag?

    pps. The odds that Eddelrittuo and Rayet would meet up wth Slaine? and escape the death flag?

    info600
    Reply

    2. Just some shameless advertisement for you guys to buy the ED:

      The 4th song on the ED album – Keep on Keeping on – has been played as insert for quite a few episodes now. And what do you know, there’s some proper full on english lyrics, unlike A/Z and aLIEz…(a triple combo of Japanese, English, and German, if you haven’t realize since Sawano must have been fascinated with German lyrics ever since SnK…)

      ps. He’s doing all of the piano parts / musical tracks himself. Still glorious even now.

      info600
      Reply

      3. I’ve come to think of the insert vocal tracks as simply advertisements for the tracks that now have single downloadable releases on Amazon. This shows all very organized with how everything is kind of a subtle advertisement for something in the long run, kind of like with Gundam and model kits. I just feel like I’m the only one that really doesn’t like the vocal music much at all and finds it incredibly unfitting for combat sequences. Like maybe once or twice would have been okay, but it’s like every single time there’s a fight. I’ve never witnessed anything like it in a mecha show really and I can’t say I’d care to again.

        John Hunt
        Reply

    3. tbh, when Inaho began narrating his plan, I wanted to tell him to scrap it and just drop down with the Deucalion from orbit amidst a hail of decoys. A sort-of Trojan Horse, ‘cept you’re force-feeding the Martians with said horse.

      Or, straight up orbital bombardment. It worked last time, right?

      Beedle
      Reply

      1. Well, by having just the kats dropped onto the castle – rather than dropping Deucalion or plain orbital bombardment represented having the risk of death being exposed to the least amount of people, friendly or otherwise (baring that surprise attack, of course).

        Still, orbital bombardment makes some sense IF AND ONLY IF Asseylum wasn’t the one purposing to shutdown the landing castle’s Aldnoah drive in the first place.

        Then there’s the mobile flak cannons…

        info600
        Reply

  4. (though the lack of an explosion when it impacted the landing castle is a bit odd, and suggests plot armor kicking in for the many named characters still on-board).

    Not everyone packs the noses of their ships (and their potential ship-crash-sites) full of overpowered exposives that can be set off on impact.

    Wanderer
    Reply

    1. Indeed, this isn’t the typical action show that has cars blow up by by being stepped on (not by touching immobile objects the wrong way nor being shot with a typical rifle once) as demo’d in ep 3…

      info600
      Reply

    2. Surely this is a good thing that an unnecessary explosion trope wasn’t triggered. This show in general is light in spectacular explosions or explosions in general. It’s more realistic for something that is well made to not be excessively vulnerable to unstable reactions. This is also sci-fi where the Martian tech isn’t as fragile.

      Seraph
      Reply

    3. Oh I don’t know about that. If a battleship with a mass of several 10kt crashes into that castle which probably has 100 times its mass in what appears to be an completely inelastic collison at more than 100m/s I don’t think it would matter at all whether there were explosives on board or not. The energy released should be comparable to those of the largest conventional explosives. And realistically that should release the energy contained within the mysterious Aldnoah Drive which would probably make a nuclear bomb look like cheap fireworks by comparison.

      bearzerger
      Reply

    4. https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2034.jpg
      Let’s not forget, how this Picture show us how the castles are build. A thin layer of metal for Cover, and the rest cement with steel bars. So the Impact Energy will crumble the Cement and Steel bars and swallow the kinetic Energy. I dont think the Earth Ship is build out of Cement and Steel bars. So the Earth Ship has more firmness then the Castle section right now. As if you shoot a Steel needle into wood..

      the only think here that matters, is if somehow the Crew survived the Kinetic impact inside the Ship. Through Force fields, or other things. That is more important

      Germanguy
      Reply

      1. Also let us not forget, the Bridge Window glasses where destroyed. And this shattering pieces could cause Damage on them. Let alone the point that there was not a Vacuum cleaner effect there until the Security walls force in…

        Sure they forgotten perhaps that they where that High or in Space, but this Milliseconds can put huge stress on the Lungs.. Like if the Cabin of a Plane, under pressure, get a Big Hole all of a sudden

        Germanguy
        Reply

      2. just to prove my “like a steel needle ramming into wood” theory with a Picture
        https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2039.jpg
        You see, the Earth Battleship do not fall, because the heaviest part of the Ship is still outside, the Ship would turn over and pummel to the ground with his rear ahead. But i think that the remaining Anti-Gravity Engines can now hold the Ship afloat, because the Nose part is stuck with the Castle.

        Germanguy
        Reply

  6. While i have big qualms on Mary Stu/Gary Sue characters, it does not change the fact that Aldnoah has kept me entertained through out the entire episode.

    Sure, we obviously noticed the quickened pace, lack of proper closure on Rayet’s attempted murder, a loli driving a Humvee (which was downright adorable in my book), Slaine at the receiving end of the directors wrath, and the fact that bullets seems to evade Inaho.

    Never the less, I came for the action and was impressed of its execution.

    I was not entertained…. i was VERY entertained. I rate this episode 5/5 (would have been 6/5 if it wasnt for the minor plot flaws)

    Ginobi47
    Reply

      1. I did watch Valvrave… couldnt stomach it after a few episodes. Too bad, the production value and action scenes were top notch, but there was simply something about the show that refuses to hook me in.

        Ginobi47
        Reply

  7. My thoughts of this episode I think can be summed up as “LOLOL NO WAY” during that epic decision to fly above the atmosphere and pull a strategic maneuver that rivals d-day in terms of omgwtfreallylolol. ie: that was really freaking awesome.

    The music in this show is so fucking good. AHHH<3

    Takaii
    Reply

    1. Let´s be honest here, they are screwed no matter what they do: most of base has been infiltrated and the defenders are ash by now, most of the central command must be dead as well, Inaho´s plan might seem insane but it was the only option, it either that of dying in vain inside the hell hole the central bas is now. Even if Saazbaum is beaten I don´t think the terran army will recover from this.

      haseo0408
      Reply

  9. https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2027.jpg
    Inaho “If we go this way we can reduce our journey to Iskandar by several hundred parsecs”
    Yuki-nee “Wrong show Nao kun”
    https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2005.jpg
    Subordinate “The angel is drilling into the geofront and is about to reach Lilith”
    Commander “Wrong show dude”
    https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2037.jpg
    Darzana “Punch it, Chewie!”
    Kaoru “Uwaaarrgh!” (translated: Wrong show Captain)

    celebrinen
    Reply

    1. https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2012.jpg
      “hm, a strategically placed mech next to this hole, I guess it’s time for my character redemption scene!”

      https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2022.jpg
      (DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN!)

      https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2016.jpg
      Princess, “whoa.”
      Eddelrittuo, “I’m not impressed.”

      Impel Down Hippo
      Reply

  14. I really think it’s ok to stop reviewing a show when it becomes so obvious that you just don’t like it and each week are just the same repetitive complaints over and over. Especially when there’s another reviewer doing it anyway.

    KaleRylan
    Reply

    1. umm, Fuck off? I Like this show BUT I also like to see the reviewers opinion, EVEN IF its not what I agree with. I STILL learn something new from it and I appreciate it.

      Last time I checked this site wasn’t for circle jerking for fanboys/fangirls of a show.

      If you can’t handle that someone has a differing opinion than you on a piece of media, then you should make your own damn blog a post there.

      Using the “If you don’t like it don’t review it” is Fucking Stupid beyond belief.

      So yes. . .

      Fuck off.

      Noh
      Reply

    2. So much this. Before even clicking the link I know Enzo is just going to be spewing his personal hatred for the show. Only come for the screens and Zephyr’s much more professional recap. Would be nice if we could swap around to Zephyr doing the main recap with Enzo as the side.

      ArcaneWeapon
      Reply

    3. I don’t really get the hate toward Enzo’s review. Sure, he’s criticizing it, but he made his opinion clear and I think most of his points are accurate anyway (At least according to admittedly quite high standard of realism). He still say that it’s really enjoyable if the logical flaw is tossed to the side, and I must agree.

      You can’t deny that there are a lot of missed potentials (In a defensive battle, why don’t human mechs take a defensive cover rather than standing there waiting to be killed in the open?), questionable/unexplained act with normal world logic (why a loli from Mars could drive a Humvee?) and convenient plot (A mecha is thrown to the wall, conveniently destroying the jail, still functioning, and could stand/running in the open unharmed). You could BOTH criticize it and still enjoy the show, no problem. Enzo was not spamming random hate and neglecting the positive aspects of the show, so IMHO his critics are valid and he should continue if he still enjoy writing them.

      zeroyuki92
      Reply

      3. Regular Tatsuya had access to god mode, aim bot (24 max targets), instant kill, and x10 mana pool. Upgraded Tatsuya has god mode 2.0, strike freedom level aim bot, unlimited mp, imouto kiss, Show Spoiler ▼

        Flayvor Of Evil
        Reply

  18. It was mentioned in comments in last few weeks I believe, but it really needs to bear consideration that this show is taking place in a very short time frame. How much redemption could Rayet truly have without the plot being drawn out? It’s arguable this isn’t even redemption, but merely working towards it.

    Aldnoah.Zero is more or less avoiding fluff episodes to keep pushing the plot forward, even if it comes across as rough at times. This ties in with Saazbaum’s character of not pulling punches, as in he really did trash the Russia base and take down the Deucalion in one episode.

    I think the Princess’s arc isn’t being that badly fleshed out, this episode really did show a turning point for her, as she likely will be the instrument that causes the heavens to fall, the heavens being her own family. So a complete dismissal of character development is quite unfair. Inaho is also hardly the worst offender of a mary sue type, he is just logical, not exceptional (compared to Tatsuya who is both).

    Seraph
    Reply

    1. “It was mentioned in comments in last few weeks I believe, but it really needs to bear consideration that this show is taking place in a very short time frame. How much redemption could Rayet truly have without the plot being drawn out? ”

      This is why they show have cut the Rayet thing or had her lash out in a different way. Maybe punch the princess. But no- they had to have Rayet kill the princess because this show airs on TV. So the wanted to employ the cliffhanger (princess death) to get the viewer to return.

      But the show has been good enough not to need to rely on cliffhangers like that. Anyway, kind of wish I could see what goes through their minds when they make these shows. I suspect it goes like this:
      1) We need to add a Loli. Let’s give the princess a maiden! Cool, loli added. Check
      2) We need to appeal to the younger audiences! Let’s put everyone in high school clothes. Check

      Honestly though I’m not seeing too many anime cliches in this show beyond the loli, high school heroes doing everything (while making all the grown ups look like idiots)

      Rick Anime
      Reply

      1. Yeah, you’re right, they should have omitted that whole scene with Rayet chocking the princess etc. . ., it was pretty pointless given there are many other things the viewrs want to know. . .

        like. . .

        Inaho. . .why is he. . .so stoic/unfeeling/whatever?

        What happened in his past?

        Why is he so good at. . . .everything?

        Why doesn’t he show emotion.

        Also I wasn’t aware that this show was only 12-13 episodes long. . .

        That changes my view on the show a lot. Makes it seem very very shallow. . .more flash than substance.

        I kinda assumed they’d wait to show the people who the princess was, figured we’d see more time in the princess’ original red haired character state. . .as she seemed more like an actual character than a Clich’ed plot device.

        Her realization that everything was “her fault” seemed super shallow and her character and the show as a whole feels like it’s missing something.

        There is so much more that I wanted to see but was wasted on Rayet. . .which could have been used later.

        oh well it’s still entertaining, and since this season is just so bad for anime (the next upcoming Fall season is supposed to be really good) it’s pretty much the only thing we’ve got right now (that and HxH)

        Noh
        Reply

      2. What season are you watching Noa? This is the most hyped season for a while with many high quality shows, easily the the best this year and potentially better than several last year. Next season has some good shows, but only a few people are really waiting on, let alone expecting great things from compared to this season.

        Seraph
        Reply

  19. Fully agree with the writeup in the blog. It was positively absurd to see Rayet piloting a Mecha already. Some things is just not going to make sense with this show. From teenagers piloting multi-million dollar military hardware, to loli’s driving hummers, high school children working in the command center, & a big giant ship making a soft crash landing on the big mothership. I’ve always had to suspend all reason while watching this show personally

    Was entertaining. This is a flawed, but really good mecha show. Just wish it made more sense. You know, Majestic Princes was less flashy than this show but it really delivered everything I wanted (logical back drop for a Mecha series). But hey- I am enjoying this show much more than Captain Earth! 🙂

    Rick Anime
    Reply

  20. When those fighters transforme into kataphraks did anyone else besides me was thinking of the Valkyrie from Macross?. At least that answers the questions that if the Orbital Knight some grunt mechas in their armies.

    haseo0408
    Reply

  21. If we can accept a guy not bearing any ill will to the traitor who remorselessly shoved a hand through him (*cough* Naruto), Asseylum forgive Rayet is not so far-fetched, especially since it was clear at the time that Rayet was on the verge of losing it – and I like Rayet, I hope she makes it, but we’ve seen the record of Earth Kats against Martians ones.

    No, seriously, the biggest WTF moment was Edelrittuo driving the humvee.

    Oh, and how to summarize Inaho (who annoys me as hell) :
    Yuki : “Inaho, don’t pull your crazy stunts!”
    Inaho *straight-faced* : “Shut up bitch, this is my show.”

    weird.d
    Reply

  22. Best way to sum this episode up is chaotic. The choreography during the main fight (both in the Soviet Earth base and in the stratosphere) especially screamed classic space opera to me, completely unrealistic and defying all sense of logic, but still fun to watch. Popcorn entertainment Aldnoah is, but with only one episode left I really hope for a good cliffhanger because it’s not entirely clear what will happen after Inaho Earth forces inevitably succeed in shutting down Saazbaum’s landing castle. Considering the official acknowledgement of this season ending with a cliffhanger though I am confident that we should be in for a spectacle, whether good or bad :P.

    As for the pre-industrial war aspect it’s not entirely correct. Vers lacks any significant numbers for occupation, the main point in a war of conquest. Their object rather is structural (i.e. governmental) annihilation, killing off/enslaving your enemy so occupation is not required; rather than numbers, they are using technological disparity to crush Earth. In this regard Vers is similar to probably the most infamous example of them all in the Domination of Draka. Like Vers the Draka too killed or enslaved everyone they conquered, doing so often with smaller numbers and better technology. Unlike the Vers though the Draka actually sought (and achieved) placing the majority of humanity in bondage as their primary objective (the Vers simply wish to rule Earth). If anything Vers’ war is more about resources than ideology, which compared to some of the other aspects of Aldnoah is one of the more logical parts of the show.

    Pancakes
    Reply

  24. Seylum is way too hard one herself, none this danm mess is her fault, she´s only scape goat the Orbital Knights are using to destroy the terrans and claim Earth resources as their own since Mrs is one giant death rock. If you want to blame someone then her grandfather, the current Vers Emperor is to blame: he established the Vers Empire to keep the Aldnoah and its secrets under his claws; he cares nothing for his people and uses the the aldnoah tech for industrial and military development instead of terraforming the planet; one things went to hell he blame the whole mess on the terran and proclaimed the martians as the chosen ones of the gods, turning almost every vers citizen into a religious fanatic; and finally he used the Orbital Knights to claim Earth when he realizes coloninzing Mars was next to impossible. The only real question is how the hell Seylum turned into such a wonderful, kind hearted person with such a crazy family.

    haseo0408
    Reply

      1. He said that the Roral Family fueled the belive they were the chosen ones of the old gods 15 years ago and that was the final push to start the war and lead to the destruction of the moon, which I really want to know who was the culcript.

        haseo0408
        Reply

    2. Even beyond the fact that she’s a teenager and a sheltered princess, so she probably doesn’t have a macro view of Ver politics in general beyond “they hate Earthlings,” generally history points to the event that ends up being the powder keg for a conflict instead of more indepth looks. While you are right that she is merely the excuse for the start of the war, it still doesn’t change the fact that her “death” was a great excuse.

      baubo
      Reply

      1. To be honest I think the war inevitable no matter what they do so Asseylum might not even be an excuse at all, hear me out for a second: the Royal Family are giddy bastards but they have no interest in war, the conflict 15 years ago was a way to get the citizens off their backs so they used the Orbital Knights to fuel the hatred of the people towards Earth and they could their resources as bonus. Everything went to hell with the Heaven´s Fall and the Emperor saw a big risk in the war, usig a technology they barely understand, so he decides to wait but as long as they don´t create a way to terraform Mars most of the Empire is doomed, the clock is ticking, the Royal Family with their sights only in the military aplications of the Aldnoah would have eventually given in to the war the Orbital Knights so desired; even if the Emperor learns of the survival of her grandaughter I doubt he would stop the conflict, the military forces of Earth are ash and after the statement about the number of refugees, I think is likely that half of the Earth polpulation is dead by now, the planet is almost their´s.

        haseo0408
        Reply

  25. Sorry, but this week’s ep was a bit iffy for me. There were plot holes and poor narrating that put me into the mood of consistently questioning the episode. Remember the first ep when the castle hit New Orleans? It decimated the entire city. However this time when the castle landed (bare in mind it’s 20km within the UEHQ) the entire base did not feel the impact of the landing. Another part that bugged me the most is time frame it took for the Deucalion to reach the outer space, then have Inahou prepare a plan, present it to the crew members, and have them prep the Kats with the proper gear. Excluding the fact that the castle could have probably shot the Deucalion down the moment it reaches the surface, that Dai Gurren ram should have already killed the crew members inside. I know I sound very picky, but these little details makes the ep as a whole have a very different final product.

    Just A Random Guy
    Reply

      1. Yet in this very episode the underground complex is penetrated easily by just one regular bunker buster missile volley from the castle and then ground troops and mecha start invading meaning the show can’t even seem to keep that much consistent. Like seriously go back and watch at exactly 5:00 in the episode, it takes absolutely no effort whatsoever on the Martians part to completely render humanities last great hope completely irrelevant.

        John Hunt
        Reply

      2. Nuclear bombs aren’t all power. They use airburst and distribute a vast amount of energy over a very wide area. Bunker busters are different. While they may not have as much total energy as a nuke, they focus all their energy onto a small singular point to penetrate.

        Flayvor Of Evil
        Reply

      2. Even so, there’s no way a giant castle, accelerating down onto Earth, and landing within 20km of the base would only shake it for a short period of time. This is way to technical, and clearly I’m not qualified to keep killing time on this, but you can’t deny the fact that this ep can easily be criticized for the storyboard and pacing.

        Just A Random Guy
        Reply

      3. That’s changing the topic pretty quickly Just A Random Guy, it’s almost as if you know you are wrong. As for pacing that seemed pretty spot on, as was story boarding. In being general you show little understanding of the show if you fail to point out any flaws beyond a general desire to criticise and see which mud you throw sticks.

        Seraph
        Reply

      4. I dont agree at all. This random guy did not say “Good, this show is shit”, he just stated that this episode ” was a bit iffy” for him. That is neither HATE, nor does it show a “general desire to criticise and see which mud [to] throw sticks”. Though I do agree that some of the flaws he pointed out have an explanation and Im also no fan of focusing too much on all the technical stuff – see how there are still problems in explaninig 9/11 because you just cant always predict how this and that reacts;)

        Still, some seem more to be on the hate train themselves when they call everything HATE which is only critique. How do you even differentiate between “I dont understand how … should have worked” and “you are all *** for watching this show” if everything is HATE?

        I for my part am a little disappointed. I hoped Aldnoah would be a little more consistent and less cliche (Rayet in the kataphrakt, Inaho giving orders and only Mr. no-name dying), so I agree with Enzo. But still, if you compare it with other shows its surely one of the better shows and the soundtrack is awesome as always.

        Libélula
        Reply

    5. Why nothing happen like the Castles that land nearby or in the middle of the City’s?

      Well, this time the Castle landed on the Russia Taiga, there are nothing there that the Shock-wave could crush or turn into Ash of the compressed Air. Where there is no Trees or Building that can get crushed, nothing happen. beside a Strong Wind they made.

      Besides even the Castle have a Limit in how strong they can Impact on the Ground from Orbit. I bet they have some kind of Impact-shock Absorbers. Or they would be swimming in a pool pf red blood, too. And perhaps where they land, the Country is just Hard Rock

      You not saw the first Crash landing of the Human Airship. The remaining Anti-Gravity Field smoothed the Impact on the Ice shell. I think, no i hope, they had some remain Anti-Granity Fields on the Ship while ram their nose inside this Castle. At last Hime-Sama in the Mecha should survive, and let her Mecha still be operational from her backseat

      Inaho and the Others will use this Ship Body to infiltrate the castle. They just need to enter the open Hatch, and perhaps save the Princess out of her misery, and walk to the destroyed nose section, inside the castle

      If the Princess are unable to move, they need to kill Count Saazbaum to end all this. If they shut down the Castle “reactor” power, then they still need to fight Saazbaum in his Mecha

      Or….
      (dundundun)
      Slaine will free Hime-sama out of this Mecha, and she give him the Power to activate the other Count Mars Mecha (it is still inside the Castle!!) to fight Count Saazbaum. So Inaho has the Brain, but Slaine has the Power to stop him
      I bet, on their way to the Center, they stumble above this powerd down Mars Mecha, and Hime-sama + Slaine will do something. Inaho dont like driving other Mechas, he is used to his train one. So Slaine be the Hero is high

      Germanguy
      Reply

    6. Who said the landing castle can’t land nice and soft?
      It was in no man’s land in Siberia and the underground base seems to be a former ICBM-drome. The thing we saw in New Orleans was a lot like nuke explosion, insane wind and all, but this site was well prepared for the full-scale nuke war.
      There was absolutely nothing on the ground, If what you can destroy is just some silly trees by landing hard, why do you even want to do it that way?

      Saburau
      Reply

  26. Reminds me of Muv-Luv’s orbital drop operations. Will next week be a Slaine-In-Tharsis vs Full Armor Sleipnir vs Dioscuria Mexican standoff, and will the Princess shoot Saazbum/Slaine/Inaho/whoever, like in the opening song’s scene?

    FV4202
    Reply

    1. Yes, reminds me of that. Which actually lead me to expect that they are going to spam more smoke bombs and other distracting tactics, well at least they got the dummies.

      Which reminds me the greatness that we could get if we could see one of the MLA military operation animated, that would be a penultimate blessing… Those military operations has a helluva amount of details! *Some light spoiler here :
      Aldnoah also has its own Sadogashima operation, and now its kind of an operation against earth base. If after this Inaho are going to attack the Mars base directly I would ROFLING very hard

      As a side note, did your nickname come from that FV4202 tank?

      zeroyuki92
      Reply

  27. I just realized something, Slaine didn´t take the Tharsis as thought he would! Who wants to bet Seylum is going to give Inaho the right to operate the aldnoah drive so he can beat the Dioscuria using the Tharsis?.

    haseo0408
    Reply

      2. But in the mean time how is Slaine supposed to haul several tons of inert giant robot around with him? He already missed his hime-sama, if he had more dead weight he’d arrive days after the battle. 🙂

        celebrinen
        Reply

      3. Well Cele-san consider that they are in middle of the most heated battle of the war so if I were Slaine I´d choose the badass mecha over a fighter plane with no ammo, because if he gets to the princess how is he supposed to protect from all those crazy martians without a good weapon.

        haseo0408
        Reply

      4. haseo0408, I get your point and agree to an extent. Tharsis is vastly superior to a carrier (even a fully armed carrier) but only if it was functional. As it is the carrier is the expedient choice. It seems logical to ditch a non-functioning weapon in favour of one that does work, then come back for the better weapon when you can get it running. At the moment Tharsis is like a gun without ammo, a really big (basically immovable) gun. Lets say you have an artillery piece but the ammo is 1km away. Do you drag the gun to the ammo or bring the ammo to the gun? Ideally Slaine would want to bring hime-sama to Tharsis if he wanted to get it running.

        celebrinen
        Reply

      5. I get what you´re saying Cele-san, after re-watching the episode I notice that Saazbaun´s Dioscuria was riding a flying plataform during the whole attack inside the base so even when flying is that mecha´s specialty the fighter mode might have too big and fast to move around safely inside the base; the Tharsis might have been the same, but the Sky Carrier is lot faster and not so big that could cause problems so Slaine´s might been the right one as you said becuase he has no inttention to fight, only to grab Asseylum and run for hills as fast as he can but the idiot could at least grab one with ammo.

        haseo0408
        Reply

  28. Saazabaum’s Kat is total HAX! I mean it huge AND stealthy? WTF?

    I really wonder how this will turn out. Maybe Earth wins and becomes a dominant power and maybe’s season 2’s version oo the Titans or A-Laws? 😛

    grss1982
    Reply

      2. @kittyraider,
        Sidonia is top priority for me. Vol 13 of the manga was fantastic and it doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon so it’ll be interesting to see how Nihei wraps up his longest title so far.

        The only thing as good would be more Gin no Saji, Horizon S3, Hataraku Maou and the end of FMP.

        celebrinen
        Reply

      4. @cruiser2710
        Watch the show and read the manga to get the full Nihei goodness. The show skips a lot of character interactions in favour of the overall plot so reading it fills in a lot of blanks.

        celebrinen
        Reply

  31. I think people have odd standards for this show. Inaho is a marty stu? Based on what? The fact that he pretty much single-handedly is capable of fighting the martians? You mean like EVERY SINGLE GUNDAM SHOW EVER?

    Having some random high schooler that is better at fighting than the entire military of both sides of the war is literally mecha anime 101. Why is it such a problem in this anime?

    And the Rayet thing pisses me off, but it is also anime 101. Which is why we all knew it was going to happen as soon as we saw the shower scene. Redeemed bad people is in every anime ever, and it’s almost always stupid as all get-out. This one is a LITTLE dumber because the murder scene was pretty over the top and the redemption was two episodes later. But Vegeta was a freaking planet killer and he was redeemed. yeah it took longer but it was DBZ, EVERYTHING took longer.

    This anime is not Shakespeare, but it’s really not all that unusually weird by mecha anime standards.

    KaleRylan
    Reply

    1. Agreed re:Rayet, but the Gundam bit? They had the excuse of more advanced tech vs the opposition. Inaho’s running around with a trainee Kat and plot armor 🙂

      Still an enjoyable show, though.

      Beedle
      Reply

      1. The more advanced tech thing is something fans tell themselves to feel better about Gundam. The shows generally go out of their way to explain that it is NOT the gundams that are letting the kids win. Amuro was so much better than his super prototype that they had to reinforce its joints so it didn’t fall apart from his sheer piloting awesomeness.

        The fact that he’s got a trainee Kat is odd, but they made pretty clear in the last episode the only major difference is armor thickness and as Inaho pointed out that doesn’t help much anyway. They did the same thing in Gundam Zeta where they actually start building their mobile suits with less armor than before because they realize that with beam weapons it really doesn’t matter.

        Again, this isn’t about whether it’s realistic, it’s about whether it is that much more unrealistic than anything from Gundam, Macross, Majestic Prince, Buddy Complex, Eureka Seven, or whatever else. And can we honestly say it’s THAT much more unrealistic than all of those others? To the point that half the comments and pretty much the entire main review each week here are about how difficult it is to believe? Really? After Kira literally taking out entire fleets repeatedly with a single suit while not killing anyone?

        KaleRylan
        Reply

      2. I think what really bugs people is they went into this show expecting a more Marcross-y/real robot-y show and instead they got a fairly fantastical mecha anime. Not an UNUSUALLY fantastical mecha anime, but a more fantastical one than they expected by a lot, and they are not adjusting well.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

      3. Remember guys, anime show isn’t all about the story and the show. There is marketing and stuff behind the scenes. This is Anime Marketin 101.

        Sure, almost every Gundam MC are OP along with their OP machines but that’s because they need something for their merchandise. Do you think generic mass produced gundams are good enough for their sales? They need something to distinguish the MC’s mechs from other generic ones and of course, make it a lot more appealing to customers.

        The same issue can be applied with Aldnoah Zero. Yes, we all know that Inaho’s Kat is a generic mass produced trainer machine. What makes it special is because it has become Inaho’s trademark and is distinguishes him from all other pilots because as of now he’s the only one who still uses it, which makes it “less generic”.

        Anime Marketing 101
        Reply

    2. Yes, I completely agree with you there! I also found myself thinking: “this is weird, that is weird, Rayet wtf?, whyyyy, Mustang33?” But you’re completely right, I was expecting something realistic and I must admit I dont even know why. I mean I could cope with L11 and now I already sit there wondering why Inaho can give out orders and they all agree with his reasoning “we’ve always gone blind into the fights”. These are really only minor things compared to other shows, so I guess the standards really were too high – or better: they were the standards for another kind of show.

      Libélula
      Reply

    3. My opinion on this matter, from how I personally view fictional shows I’ve watched and from talking with others, is that being annoyed at lack of realism is basically saying “I don’t like this show.” The reason is because you can literally break down any fantasy/sci-fi show and point out where it’s unrealistic. But by the same token, make it realistic and either the show becomes boring or just prematurely ends (bad guy about to kill MC, no superpower/superbot activates, MC dies, bad guy wins, anime over episode 1).

      Realism is important, but that importance only lies within the framework of entertainment. I want something that’s unrealistic but totally kicks ass as opposed to boring realism. I prefer to see Inaho being his stoic self coming up with awesome strategies and rather than watching a war room discussion among HQ generals. Even if the latter is infinitely more realistic under that situation.

      Besides, from a realism perspective, how many shows actually bother with the type of details that Aldnoah.Zero’s using? Certainly very few if any action shows(anime or American movies) that I’ve seen.

      baubo
      Reply

    4. The reason for peoples reactions to this show both positive and negative IMO owe largely to the fact that not a lot of people watching it actually seem to have any real experience with the genre before outside of the obvious hit shows everyone has watched like Code Geass, Evangelion, Gundam 00/Seed, Guilty Crown and Gurren Lagann. There’s just a ton of generalizations and weird ideas about the genre that seem to largely be based on things that have happened specifically in those shows. The reason this one is so watched largely seems to be because of the staff involved that pulled a lot of people in that normally would never touch a mecha show so you get even more of these generalized opinions about it and the genre at large.

      It’ll be pretty telling to see, but there’s 3 mecha shows next season alone and despite their potential for high profile in Japan I doubt even the three of them combined will attract as much attention as this IMO rather average genre entry because they won’t have names like Sawano or Urobuchi or even Ei Aoki attached to them.

      Also I want to repeat again that I appreciate Enzo’s reviews of this show highly and hope he won’t stop following it next season cause it’s so refreshing to see somebody be honest about and try to weigh all the factors with a show rather than just being another yes man and feeding the audience strictly what they want to hear each and every week with no thoughts of their own to contribute. There’s way to much of that sort of thing with this particular show this season, but also in general any time there’s a big hyped up project like this that creators clearly design with the intent to be popular first and foremost and baseline average to maybe slightly above in the long run.

      John Hunt
      Reply

  32. Seriously, it was not so many missiles here. Even during WWII were more massive rocket attacks than this. Also, lol at all HQ firepower is not able to scratch the Landing Castle, but Inaho singlehandedly destroys the AA guns, one after another.

    Eraser
    Reply

    1. It is a reasonable tactical assumption that the base attacked the landing castle, which had heavy armour, directly and Inaho and co attacked specific small targets that required mobility, making it reasonable. It was not explained, but they also had some form of new armament, which may also explain how the guns were destroyed. Precision will always win.

      Seraph
      Reply

  34. The thing I was left wondering after this episode?
    Who got the genius idea to name the kataphrakt with the princess as “Princess 11”? (In their defense though, they didn’t know Saazbaum could hear them, but still…)

    Erimaki
    Reply

  37. That was one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen. And I watch anime!

    You can not be serious. You need to watch more Gundam. The Real Robot genre has for more absurd things happen to it such as Macross Frontier’s sky-surfing aircraft carrier robot or Gundam Zeta’s power up by the souls of dead people (None of those were hyperbole). Aldnoah’s Robot HALO jump was tame by comparison. It doesn’t change the fact that is was an awesome watch.

    Same goes the characters again it happens alot on the mecha genre. Gundam in particular has been guilty of pulling redemption arcs on far worse people. At least Rayet was already showing signs of contrition. She was already headed that direction so they might as well get her arc over with.

    My only complaint this episode is pacing was too fast. The invasion of the underground base and the attack on the Landing Castle feel like two different action set pieces that deserve to be fleshed out. And yet they are both crammed into a 20-minute episode. It’s a little obvious they are rushing to the finale.

    Also, I’ll admit this is already a personal peeve, but can people STOP using the term Sue/Stu without understanding what that term implies. Because Inaho is not an infallible person reeking of author favoritism. His planing and commanding the jump was a bit implausible but even he admits its a high-risk plan and people died on the approach anyway just to prove the point. And guess what? The entire plan turned out to be worthless because the Dioscuria takes the Deucalion out. Is Inaho duller than tap water? Yes that is a legitimate complaint. But he is not a Sue.

    fragb85
    Reply

    1. I actually thought in the moment that Inaho would choose to fight Saazbaum. In hindsight, I still think that would’ve made more sense given Inaho’s previous successes against them. As well as the fact that even shutting down the landing castle doesn’t mean the Saaz’s Kat will also deactivate.

      I mean, from spectator’s view it’s clear that Saazbaum is smarter and his mech more awesome than previous bad guys. But Inaho obviously doesn’t have this information and you would think he’d choose what he’s had success against vs. a totally unknown enemy in raiding a landing castle.

      As a watcher, I’m just glad I hear Mustang 33’s immortal words. lol!

      baubo
      Reply

  38. IMHO in my opinion this is the most accurate you can get from anime.
    Hear me out, I don’t know about you guys but I don’t see much of plotholes.

    Firstly, this show only really enjoyable for people who figure things out.
    Don’t expect to be spoon fed plot answers.

    Concerning the hottest topic right now, Eddelrittuo a 130 cm woman who can drive a humvee.
    That said, I live in Asia, and my senior in college is short (she’s around 130cm), but
    she drives just fine. As well as a lot of Asian women.
    In episode 5 I believe, she said she could pilot a Kat, and she doesn’t appear as though lying.
    That said, her position as a maid or attendant to a Princess, suggests she’s much older than she seems. I guessed her demeanor was stark enough.
    All this points out she had occupational training. (read; professional)
    Also, there’s no points ruling this out, thus whatever possibilities no matter how improbable it is must be closer to the truth.

    As for Rayet earning her redemption, that depends on perspective. Enzo, you couldn’t accept just because you wouldn’t if it were you, but not if you were the Princess. That requires empathy.
    The princess has already forgiven Rayet in last episode. Why? Because that’s her personality.
    She is the type that takes it upon herself, blames herself as source of Rayet’s situation (indirectly). There are people like that in the world. That’s realistic personality.

    The people who couldn’t accept Rayet’s redemption are, ironically, sharing the same feeling as Eddelrittuo, who clearly disprove of Rayet as well as Inaho.

    Talking about Inaho, the youngest US General is 20 years old during the civil war where conscription of young men are common. Plus, a captain (Magbaredge) that refuse to listen to viable suggestions of her subordinates, just cause he is young, is the exact illogical self-centered plague of bad leaders in anime (Argevollen, Attack on Titan) not to mention a trope, as well as in real life.

    This show shows how realistic a common mecha show should be if it were to happen for real. Not a deconstruction, but a sci-fi with less fantasy and more logic.

    Azure
    Reply

    1. As I’ve stated earlier, military Humvee interiors are tiny. She’d have no trouble reaching everything inside and driving. Training is another issue, as we don’t know Eddel nor Rayet’s training prior to or between the episodes of this show.

      Drasca
      Reply

  39. Sure clever way to give your VIP mecha a codename like “PRINCESS ONE”. They might as well draw a bullseye on her cockpit.

    This would be the third time Asseylum has been “killed”. If she lives again, I’m going to have to declare she’s descended from a royal family of cats.

    echykr
    Reply

    1. 3 Points here from me

      1) The Count found out the Location of this Earth Aldnoah Drive Ship inside the Base
      2) he was after the Princess to kill her. he knew through his Army Radio, that the Princess boarded this Ship
      3) he also know, that she is still on the Ship. But with “Princess 1” he just know what Mecha he has to shoot…plus he is invisible for their Board Radar. So they do not knowing he was there

      Nobody was even thinking that they ears dropping their Comm Radio. This Count has also enough brain like Inaho

      Germanguy
      Reply

      1. ups, forgot

        The Princess is alive. The Ship did not fall from the Sky like a Stone. They where still flying in controlling manner. Even if it was only a way down
        So the Aldnoah Drive was working, just the Anti-Gravity Engines where destroyed, and could not hold the ships weight in the Air

        Germanguy
        Reply

    2. By right military radios are encrypted. The codenames are just another layer of protection. They also assists in quick identification of units in non-military federal services for easier coordination. (eg. “This is Patrol 1,” instead of “This is Corporal Mike Sanders NYPD”)

      Azure
      Reply

    1. Ugh, accidentally hit the send button.

      ANYWAY, what was I trying to say is is I’m getting the impression that you’re not really having much fun writing about Aldnoah, Enzo. Like I said, I could be wrong, but if on the chance that you genuinely don’t want to review this series anymore, then I don’t think anyone would honestly hold it against you.

      That aside, am I the only one who saw Saazbaum’s Kata and flashed back to Weltall from Xenogears?

      https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2011%20-%2010.jpg

      Seriously, it’s like they meshed together Weltall and Weltall-ID and spat that out. Not that I’m complaining, of course. ;D

      Ryan Ashfyre
      Reply

  42. One of the things that’s keeping me interested in this show is Slaine. I think he’s the only character left who has some potential to salvage this show from being just “popcorn entertainment”. The action and music are indeed nice; even passersby stop for a bit to see what I’m watching ‘coz of the music. However, most of the other characters seem pretty much flat with predictable roles to progress the plot. Though that is another thing the show can capitalize on to make this show better (given the 2-cours)– through character shifting, Code Geass-style.

    JD
    Reply

    1. And just to add:

      Outstanding anime–at least for me–should not require you to “suspend disbelief”. Of course, that’s not to say that fantasy or sci-fi shows that bend the rules of physics aren’t good, but the best ones have well-established universes, e.g. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (no one dare bash that show! haha kidding).

      There are, however, ways to make a suspend-disbelief-moment work in succeeding episodes, but it would all depend on how and when they are executed (thus my Code Geass comparison, as that show did that while staying true to the overall style). Hopefully, the 2nd cour of A/Z would not throw away the sociopolitical intrigue for just another cliche-driven action piece.

      On another hand, I guess I just have higher regard for shows that would challenge or affirm your worldview and principles to exercise your brain neurons.

      JD
      Reply

  43. I was also rolling my eyes when Rayet appeared to help the Princess…I can handle underdeveloped characters but inconsistent characters are one of the things that don’t sit well with me. I’m also annoyed that Slaine was completely left out of the plot AGAIN (does someone on the production have something against him?). So far he’s the only character I care about, but that might be because he’s had so little screen time that the writers didn’t have a chance to screw up his character yet.

    I did like the tidbit where Inaho was looking at the note from his sister, a slip of humanity!

    I think if this series had more episodes it could be so much more special than just awesome music+action, but I don’t think it should be compared to GC. Guilty Crown is a complete catastrophe… At least Aldnoah’s universe and story is somewhat logical and entertaining.

    Yukie
    Reply

    2. More like he’s one of the few people that seems to see it for what it is. I don’t think he’s being hateful about it at all, just honest. One of the few commentators that doesn’t seem to just be pulled in by the hype and the soundtrack every week and is actually offering thoughts to chew on about the show and things to consider. For example the way the battles play out have been bothering me for a while and now that he’s described it as like a music video it’s kind of clicked that that’s sort of the problem with them. They’re all cut to these insert vocal tracks that make them feel like I’m watching a cool music video rather than a war situation and life or death battle that’s playing out. Likewise he does raise good points about the little girl just logically not being able to operate a humvee by any stretch of the imagination. Height just doesn’t match up. This show has legitimate problems that no amount of “but it’s entertaining” or “well the music is epic” is going to just magically fix and that should be pointed out at least be someone.

      John Hunt
      Reply

    3. Everyone has their own opinions on their show.

      For me personally, I take the show at face value for what it is. It’s clearly meant to be popcorn entertainment and honestly, there’s always going to be issues that crop up developmentally and “suspension of belief” wise for shows like this, and as I don’t want to spend the quick impressions I have on those things (Enzo covers them well enough), I ultimately end up focusing on the stuff I do like, and there are things to like here. That’s not to say they necessarily overpower the issues present depending on who you are, but I feel like they do (to a point). Then again, I’m usually more lenient towards stuff in general.

      Zephyr
      Reply

    5. Hate’s a little strong, pretty sure if Enzo detested Aldnoah that much he would have dropped it already 😛

      If anything Enzo is simply pointing out the flaws (of which there are many) in Aldnoah’s script. It’s just one of the traits of boisterous and over the top popcorn stuff that rely on overemphasis and melodrama to create a sense of “epic-ness”; similar criticism could as easily be applied to the annual wave of summer blockbusters over here.

      IMO Alnoah should be fully enjoyed for what it is, but no one should mistake its entertainment value for solid realism, strong world building, or deep philosophical thought.

      Pancakes
      Reply

  48. If Enzo is talking about the battles when he mentions the Music Video side of things I kind of have to agree. That’s kind of what the battle scenes feel like in this show as opposed to scenes of conflict war and carnage, like they’re designed as music video set pieces for Sawano vocal music to be inserted for promotional consideration rather than a significant part of the narrative. For all the show talks about how they’re in a super serious life or death war during the brief strategy sessions and some character interactions the show basically just treats the actual conflict like cool shit happening and stuff exploding while Mika Kobayashi wails in the background. It just doesn’t work as anything other than a cool looking music video for sure.

    John Hunt
    Reply

  49. So much right with this episode yet so much wrong as well.

    It took 11 bloody episodes but FINALLY someone called Inaho on his whole logical reasoning (even though it’s been inconsistent in my opinion). A shame characters weren’t doing this early to flesh out him out a bit more. But i guess last minute characterization is better than none……

    Action was quite entertaining. I don’t know why but was anyone else reminded of the “Battleship” movie this episode?

    Rayet’s quick redemption was laughable. Oh but who cares. She’s immediately redeeming herself so we can ignore the murder attempt already right?……………Right? Nah I still don’t like her.

    Rayet COULD have been an interesting character but the writers made no real attempts to make her a sympathetic character and instead simply use her for poorly done drama. Her motivations make little sense for someone her age. I mean she isn’t 12 or something. She is old enough to understand what her dad was going was wrong. Killing an innocent princess just so their family can be put in higher standing? Yeah that scumbag DESERVED to get killed. If they had perhaps explained how rough their lives were before moving to earth for the mission I would have felt more pity for her. But not only did they poorly build up her attempted murder but she gets redeemed in less than 2 episodes simply because of the convenience of the situation letting her do so. Even for the most developed character she doesn’t do the show justice at all.

    Inaho: Here is the planning for a mission that I a high school student was able to put together because even you experienced generals pale in comparison to my brain power. Any questions?

    Adults: Ahduuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrr?

    Inaho: Do not question me you primitive apes!

    As real shame. I thought there would be an interesting dynamic between Marito and Inaho. I mean out of everyone he obviously has the most experience. Why is it that the characters I like keep getting shafted in favor of Inaho? =(

    The running joke of Slaine continuing to get shafted is no longer funny 🙁

    And why the hell does the Princess keep blaming herself? She’s done NOTHING WRONG! God characters doing this for no reason pisses me off. She acts like being a GOOD person suddenly makes her a terrible being or something. Sorry but the people who betrayed you are the bad people NOT YOU! Did the princess lose some brain cells when Rayet was choking her?

    leatherhead333
    Reply

    1. Being a general does not necessarily mean that your generalship is top notch… Or being in the top brass doesn’t mean you’re top either.

      I believe we’ve seen blundering generals planning and leading attacks in real life before…

      cruiser2710
      Reply

  51. I was somewhat in the middle with my disbelief at Eddelrittuo being able to drive, but more than that, when I saw her seeing the Princess off with tears in her eyes my culminating thought was she deserves a “Best Maid” award or something.

    Wizard_Marshall
    Reply

  52. Sigh, seriously guys, the hate towards this show is down right ridiculous and absurd .. starting from the weekly reviews by Enzo (which turned into weekly nitpicking sessions) to the several comments by people who don’t seem to enjoy the show at all yet insist on watching it and coming here to nitpick and inform us how much they are suffering while watching the show .. is this some sort of anime-masochism fad where people watch shows they don’t like then go online to mope about them !!?, if you don’t like a show just don’t watch it guys .. it’s that simple.

    It is really ridiculous to still hear stuff like “It’s a popcorn show”, “It doesn’t make sense”, “It’s not realistic” .. sigh .. what are you guys comparing it to exactly .. enlighten me please !!!, there are only 2 or 3 truly realistic anime mecha shows in the entire history of mecha anime, and even then they aren’t 100% realistic .. and how exactly is using interesting tactics, military plans and realistic weaponry (Bunker Busters, AA guns, Decoys) doesn’t make sense but the thousand missiles circuses and super beam weapons in every other anime make perfect sense, yeah sure !!!

    And how many times does it need to be mentioned for people to get it, it’s pretty damn clear that all the young people in the world of Aldnoah received military training .. it’s perfectly logical and expected when a war stretches out for too long that more younger people start getting drafted and even younger ones get basic military training (shooting basic, driving,..etc etc) … never heard of child soldiers in Africa .. never heard of children fighting in WW2 .. and the thing is .. the better weapons and tech becomes the more effective those children will be as soldiers as they have more capacity to learn new things and learn much faster (and as in the case of Inaho have high IQ).

    Does the show really need to spoon-feed the viewers with every little detail for it to be good .. did people get that used to lengthy info dumps they can’t deduce something on their own with the given information !!?

    As for the more reasonable criticisms, It might seem weird at first to see Eldirito driving but her height certainly isn’t the issue at all, never heard of something called “Adjustable seats”, yeah .. they exist .. as for her driving skills .. Rayat and the Princess clearly showed signs of getting military training (considering the low population on Mars they would surely want every member of their nation battle ready as soon as they can walk, more so for spies like Rayat and the princess as well as her personal escort), Eld didn’t pull a Rambo and go gung-ho against a bunch of more experienced Vers soldiers taking them out without blinking or anything like that .. she just drove a car .. BIG DEAL.

    As for the ramming of the Deucalion into the castle .. not every two vehicles that ram into each other have to explode, that’s just a lame Hollywood cliche .. there are so many factors that come into play (angle of impact, materials and structure of the objects impacting each other, anti-gravity drives .. etc etc) .. it’s more complicated that “Crash = BOOOM”, and no .. Inaho isn’t commanding the entirety of earth’s forces .. the Russian forces are fighting independently and didn’t factor at all in Inaho’s plan and the crew of the Deucalion is following his plan because it’s the best plan they have .. they CLEARLY mentioned rallying the plan to the commander to get her opinion .. she accepted and gave her orders to carry out the plan .. (and it is the duty of any competent leader to accept and carry out any good/interesting plans suggested by his subordinates not just shrug aside because they “know better”).

    And Rayat’s character development might be a little rushed but it makes perfect sense .. we saw the frustration building episode after episode until she snapped in a single moment of mindless violence after reaching her breaking point .. it makes sense for her to cool down afterwards and reconsider her alliances after both the princess and Inaho accepted her despite her aggressive act on the princess’s life … it could have used few more episodes to flesh out her changes but it isn’t anything like Guilty Crown where the main character just kept changing his personality to fit with the situation, if Rayet pulled another attempt on the princess’s life i’d surely call bullshit on her character development, but only then.

    To end my rant i have to say that it’s just ridiculous to complain about a show like “Aldnoah Zero” by saying something like “It’s not realistic” or “It’s a popcorn show” or stuff like that, this IS one of the most realistic mecha anime in a long time after many shows with ridiculous OP mechas and MCs that can wipe entire armies with a single attack of their super powered robot .. mecha shows that involved ZERO tactics or thought behind the action .. compared to these mecha show Aldnoah is far more realistic, far more believable and consistent, and it doesn’t force feed the viewers ever little detail and bit of info like many of those shows did .. it’s way above many of the previous mecha shows in the past years and surely manages to present something different and IS a step in the right direction for the mecha genre in general .. if you set your expectations so high “Second-coming-of-the-Messiah high” then it’s only your fault for feeling disappointed after setting up such ridiculous unrealistic expectations bases on your own delusions of what the show will be like.

    Hunter-Wolf
    Reply

    1. You should review Aldnoah, it just boring to read every week the cry of baby Enzo. I came here because I really like RC, is my favorite blog, but this kind of situacion… well the show will finish the next week, I doubt Enzo review the next season.

      bluebirds
      Reply

    2. And Rayat’s character development might be a little rushed but it makes perfect sense .. we saw the frustration building episode after episode until she snapped in a single moment of mindless violence after reaching her breaking point .. it makes sense for her to cool down afterwards and reconsider her alliances after both the princess and Inaho accepted her despite her aggressive act on the princess’s life … it could have used few more episodes to flesh out her changes but it isn’t anything like Guilty Crown where the main character just kept changing his personality to fit with the situation, if Rayet pulled another attempt on the princess’s life i’d surely call bullshit on her character development, but only then.

      That. All of that.
      Rayet’s mental conflict was interesting to observe during the last several weeks. (And a lot of folks here didn’t see the whole thing properly.)

      info600
      Reply

    3. Well Hunter… Haters will always hate that’s all I can say.

      True that in AZ there’re plenty of suspension of belief but I let that slide past. From what you’ve said, bout teenage soldiers and exploding crashes, I think they’re too influenced by Hollywood magic as well as they forgot the fact that there ARE and WERE indeed instances of teenage soldiers AND child soldiers.

      As for Eddel driving the Humvee, I think someone mentioned it earlier that it’s cramp as hell inside there so no surprise if her feet could reach the pedals and yes…. Adjustable seats. For all you know, the Humvees used in AZ might be the improved version of the ones we see in our world.

      I must say that in AZ, there’s WAY LOT LESS exploding cannon fodders as compared to GS and GSD

      cruiser2710
      Reply

  53. this episode is nominated to popcorn awrds for:
    -most unearned redemption (Rayet) – btw where did she get that Kat from?
    -most brutal pushing of the character into irrelvance (Slaine)
    -most epic combat drop since Marciano’s 12 sisters…
    -magic powered battleship ramming into magic powered space castle, to deliver…
    -Princess 1, most epic callsign, ever!

    on the more serious note:
    -WW1 was not about the Archduke, Russia wanted influence with Balkans where Austro-Hungary wanted same, Germany wanted to k.o. Russia before it modernzied itself into fully industrial state, France wanted to get even for 1870. Wars usually start because states want war, and usually with general society more or less suporting war under influence of propaganda.
    -while they are describing Vers invasion as pre-industrial warfare, it is quite similar to Nazi Germany, which had no need for war excuses other than desiring “Lebensraum”, and did not bother with negotiating towards “inferior races”. And WW2 Germany had some of the most advanced weapons of the time, from first jets to first ballistic missiles. So barbarians with superior technology do happen…

    ewok40k
    Reply

    1. About Princess 1 call sign, I thought these callsigns are made to somehow add a layer of encryption for the transmission of their operation. But princess 1 sounds so obviously important lol.

      Oh well it sounds cool so why not

      kabayongtao
      Reply

  55. YEeeeeees, Thank god, the Guilty Crown comparison has been made by someone other than me. I’ve been saying it on IRC that this is totally GC redux the instant I met the characters in ep 1-2…they are just sooo baaaaaaadly done. Great music and scenery porn but plot and characters ICKY ICKY ICKY.

    Ryuuroden
    Reply

  56. VINI VIDI VICI

    I watch this anime to be entertained and to see Enzo raging at it each week.

    I’m entertained and Enzo is raging again as always;

    I WATCH, I CAME, I’M NOT DISSAPOINTED. Well done A/Z.

    Long Live the Queen!
    Reply

  59. Why do I not find it weird about Rayet’s behavior? I mean, yes, if we only considered Rayet’s behaviour from the last 3 eps, the 180 is a bit unnatural, but Rayet has never had any ill intent for the princess since ep 2. She just imploded for a second in the bathing scene and lost her sense of judgement. Now that she’s cooled down, why can’t you guys accept her behavior for this episode?

    blkoopers
    Reply

    1. I don’t think it’s about the premise. Most people are expecting some form of redemption and even the manner (saving the princess in a tight spot) isn’t all that surprising either. It’s more a matter of execution. Much like the shower scene, it lacked setup and events leading up to it.

      Juan
      Reply

    2. Here’s how it goes.
      Rayet kills princess
      Princess forgives Rayet
      Rayet is put in a cell for a day or 2.
      Meanwhile in the cell
      Rayet: Dang I dun f***ed up.
      *Random mech falls by
      Rayet: Hm… it could be a good time for me to redeem myself so I don’t have to get stuck in the cell for much longer, plus I hate martians and all of those martian soldiers are pretty squishy
      – rest of the episode plays out the way it is.

      Flayvor Of Evil
      Reply

  60. The Captain kamikaze battleship is very smart one than Inaho hi-altitude freefall tactics. They should have done that in the first place using heavily armor and speed to sacrifice a direct through from swarm missiles then land the ground troops inside there. I wonder there are not using the alien laser turrets barrage against swarm missiles?

    For who said a teenager highschool can be a real soldier? No. I was too received military training at highschool but only basic of shooting and marching formation but i dont experienced training under artillery and mortar and machine guns fire. Only a non state armed group Terrorist, Militia, Pirates can forcibly recruit or kidnapping children into soldier with no limited access to privacy and lived throught out conflict.

    Private
    Reply

    1. Inaho’s combat drop is actually closer to reality of military tactics used in real wars. Namely the D-Day storming of Normandy of World War 2, and that tactic was used by the generals of the Allied Forces. Using Deucalion to attack ram is like to ask US Aircraft Carrier to plough through the beach of Normandy. Yes it will save lives, but its a colossal loss of resource.

      As for teenagers being trained soldier, surely you have not heard of Singapore? One of most modern countries in southeast asia. They have National Service; in which all 18 year olds are required to serve in the army for 2 years. When they finished, they considered “Operationally Ready”, and become army reservists. So remember if next time you come to Singapore, all the banker, teachers, bakers there are actually trained soldiers.

      Azure
      Reply

      1. Dropping in a hi-altitude from under constant fire in day time its a suicide mission. Its like the German invasion from Crete and Operation Market Garden with huge cost of lives.

        In Normandy the allies using DD tank for the 1st wave like the battleship to knock out the pill box before 2nd wave for the troops w/tank engineer follow up with destroyers.

        Yes Singapore has moderns weapons but the small space country have limited to train for land exercise. The Defense Minister knows this they are looking places to train there modern tanks in large places.

        Private
        Reply

      2. Thats why the use of decoys, chaffs and flares. Day and night time is irrelevant as it shown they are targeted by radar and not line of sight, hence the effective application of decoys, chaffs and flares.

        In Normandy, the DD tanks was only effective in half of the several beach landings due to strategic placed obstacles, landmines, bad weather and bad coordination. In the others, machine gun fires and bunkers of enemy is still pretty much raze the troops, hence the high attrition rate.

        On Singapore, if interested you can read about National Services of all other countries. They don’t mention it in school because its partially taboo. Australia before had conscription of boys aged 14 nearing WW1, not as active army but military training nevertheless. After Pearl Harbor, the US conscripted 17 year olds. Its in the past, but it shows in global war settings, conscription of teenagers is not so uncommon.

        Azure
        Reply

      3. Well, if you think this is Suicide mission. What do you think what D-Day on the Beach was about? Nearly the same think. The first that got out of the Ships, was in the same Shoes as here the Mechas dropping from high above. But unlucky they dont haved any Decoys on the beach.
        Sure it is suicide, but better as get killed with not trying

        Germanguy
        Reply

  61. Enzo should go back to lick Gon and Killua asses.

    I enjoy both A/Z and HxH and I hate his review as f-ck for BOTH shows.

    Randomc is one of my fav site but this guy’d been ruining it for years.

    Pitou
    Reply

  62. Can we all give Enzo a break. Sure his opinion can sometimes be quite controversial, but I appreciate his take on these shows even if I often don’t agree with them. I’m sure no blogger on RC is writing these anime recaps to agree with your opinion of the show. That kind of mindset is just so self-entitled. Sure, if you disagree with his opinion you can voice it in the comment section here – that’s what it’s for. But hating in the writer just seems all kinds of immature.

    Saki
    Reply

    1. He can expressing his opinions freely, but hating/bashing the same anime for 11 times (11 episodes)? That is just insane. If anything, this is a very good indicator that he doesn’t enjoy this anime and should had dropped it or let others do the blogging. Isn’t that this website tends to drop or stop writing for the bad anime that they don’t like? So, why is A/Z is the special one now? Is it because this “bad” anime can garnered 100+ comments every week?

      ANother
      Reply

      2. At least it seems to me that writers at RandomC rarely drop anime they have dedicated to covering unless blogging it had becomes a joyless exercise. Just scroll down the current roster and you will still see writers like Stilts and Divine covering shows like ESP and Glasslip that they would not enjoy as much as other shows this season. And I admire the writers for their dedication to continue covering a show till the end. And I think one of the main reasons that Aldnoah is receiving so much coverage (double coverage by 2 writers!) is that it is probably one of the hottest anime amongst American audiences, as you had pointed out previously.
        I’m sure you will find a lot of positive word of mouth for aldnoah amongst the blogs and forums and Zephyr’s impressions do make for an interesting read as they do highlight many of the great things about Aldnoah. However, I do appreciate Enzo’s take on the anime as well even though I do disagree with some of his criticisms.

        Saki
        Reply

  63. I wonder what is happening elsewhere.
    Away from Saazbaum vs the HQ.

    If only the Vers are more united and less arrogant then Earth will be conquered before episode 1.
    Somehow Rayregalia built an empire but somewhat fail to maintain/nurture it or something.

    Has the Princess given up?
    She points the “gun” at her own people.

    The Princess is coming, what is Slaine going to do?
    Looks like he can’t wait.

    Poor Princess carrying all the weight.
    I wonder what the other Counts would do if the broadcast got though?
    How many Counts are with Saazbaum’s faction?

    The chibi maid drives!
    Some army jeep vs Mars weapons!

    Slaine just isn’t seeing the Princess any time soon.
    No!! The maid isn’t coming along?

    Sleipnir Boxer!

    What! A faceless pilots Princess 1?
    Feels like death flag.
    (Phew, maybe not)

    Ok.. mid boss arrives.
    (Or will he pull a retreat to become boss someday?)

    Hmm, the recent ship crashing into enemy base is in Nobunaga the Fool for me 😛

    The Princess arrives in first class 😛
    Slaine has his feet on Earth ground after 5 years.
    Wonder how is Rayet and Eddelrittuo, still alive?

    iron2000
    Reply

  64. So next week is the finale of the first cour. My thought on the next episode shows a possible setup. Inaho and the princess are both at the drop palace. The princess seems to like Inaho as ‘more than a friend’ perhaps. She can give anyone the power of aldnoah, and conveniently there is a powered down martian mech (Cruhteo’s mech) in the same place. Potential here?

    ascii78
    Reply

  66. Using countermeasure in daytime is not the right sense of assaulting the enemy fortify whether are fully alert. There is no way how to countermeasure against a clear eye vision of rpg, snipers, manned anti-aircraft guns in the ground in daytime assault. You need a close air support to sweep in the ground and clear the landing zone for the airborne troops or special forces. Why put on a risk for a small team against fully awake enemy in daytime?

    The different is the assaulting on the beach and dropping the airborne troops is night time plus unlimited airsupport and naval support. The defender on the beach is not well organized, mostly all anti-aircraft guns have no special night sight, they have no Luftwaffe to back them up. Most elite reserve is scattered in northern eastern France and Belgium. Not the same.

    Yes of course the mission is not perfect cuz the fire mission in the other sector was crap and the intelligence is faulty for not giving the info about the strong wave but still went on. Only Utah and the British sector made a good execution in the first wave.

    Somewhere in the country the morale in reserve have no will to fight but i cant tell you exactly here.

    Private
    Reply

  67. We’re at the point now where “suspend disbelief” has pretty much been ass-kicked and left for dead at the side of the road. I’m no sure which is sillier, the sheer logistical impossibilities or the preposterous character arcs (I know which is more exasperating for me), but it’s becoming clear that in order to derive the most enjoyment out of Aldnoah.Zero I’m just going to have to abandon all pretense of intellectual involvement, turn off 90% of cerebral function and appreciate the considerable stylistic flourish and sheer bombast.

    *claps*
    Anime 101 for you Enzo. Welcome and..do enjoy your stay.

    Helvetica Standard
    Reply

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