ALDNOAH.ZERO / First Impressions

「謀略の夜明け -The Turning Wheel-」 (Borya ku no Yoake -The Turning Wheel-)
“Dawn of Intrigue -The Turning Wheel-“

Aldnoah.Zero continues to be the same combo platter of reward and frustration it’s been (almost) all along, but the overall result is still pretty entertaining.

There’s some mighty interesting stuff happening with Aldnoah.Zero at the moment, as the larger story is continuing to evolve in a disquietingly logical direction. Unfortunately there’s really still annoying stuff like the creeping chauvinism (seriously – must every scene with the females at Trident Base be B-grade fanservice and shallow self-obsession?), but as with most of this second cour, right now that’s thankfully not prevalent enough to derail the train.

It’s worth remembering at this point that Takayama Katsuhiko is a pretty good writer, based on his track record (let’s not discuss certain obvious exceptions) and, with the skeleton of Urobuchi Gen’s story to flesh out, he seems more than capable of delivering something more interesting and coherent than, say Psycho Pass 2. I very much like the way he’s building up to the eventual bishoudown (I’m using that until the world acknowledges its brilliance), with both geopolitic and adolescent hormones slowly coming to the boil, with the future hanging in the balance.

For those who’ve been complaining that Inaho thinks too small (a tactician rather than a strategist) I think this episode conclusively proves otherwise. He’s taking matters into his own hands in a big way, and well he should – Inaho is smart enough to realize that he’s the smartest guy in the room, and relying on military lifers with a mixed track record (at best) to save his planet and his beloved probably isn’t the best plan. In Count Mazuurek he sees a real opportunity – I think he would have even without his left eye – yet he knows the authorities will never be able to take advantage of it. So what does he do? He moves himself – first interrogating Mazuurek to confirm his own suspicions, then engineering his escape once he’s convinced him that the circumstances surrounding Asseylum stink like week-old sashimi.

It was interesting that Inaho chose Rayet to help execute his plan – though whether or not he’d have done so if she hadn’t walked in on his interrogation is debatable. It occurred to me, too, that Rayet might just try to kill Mazuurek as she did Asseylum, so I’m glad the ep acknowledged the elephant in the room. I could do without Rayet’s crying jags (can we see one of those from one of the boys, maybe?) but compared to the other teen females on Trident, she’s a veritable tower of strength and depth of character.

There was another Inaho-related bit slyly inserted at the beginning of the episode, in his conversation with Dr. Yagarai. Did the bombshell that the mods Inaho has made on his analytical engine could eventually destroy his brain foreshadow a Valvrave ending? Gods, I hope not – that would be so tired and irritating – but Chekov’s Gun obviously applies here. There’s more than enough inherent drama between Inaho and Slaine to push this story forward without needless distractions like that one, especially given what Inaho’s gambit may do to Slaine’s plans for VERS.

The giant question hanging over Aldnoah.Zero is, of course, just what Slaine’s endgame is. Is this entire power grab a cover to eventually do what Asseylum would want – peace with Earth, with reform of the feudal system a fringe benefit? If we take what Slaine is doing at face value, it would certainly seem to be a betrayal of Asseylum’s wishes. But then, as we see Slaine speaking wistfully to the tanked Asseylum about flightless birds and birds in gilded cages, it’s impossible to discount the possibility that he’s gone balls-out sociopath – his narcissism and megalomania convincing him that Mars, Earth and everyone attached to them (especially Asseylum) are his to toy with and dispose of as he pleases. It’s no coincidence that the last thing Inaho asked of Mazuurek was “Find out what Slaine Troyard’s objective is” – he’s smart enough to know just how much rides on that information.

Slaine, for his part, has plenty of problems of his own. As expected Lemrina is chafing at being Slaine’s tool while he lovingly coos to his caged bird, and this has led to her granting a live audience to Marylcian and Barouhcruz. Marylcian takes the opportunity to bare his racist fangs and challenge Slaine to a duel (and, interestingly, to use the exact same “caged bird” analogy to Lemrina that Slaine spoke of with only himself, Asseylum and Eddelruito present) over who should inherit Saazbaum’s Royal Guard role. Slaine will obviously win this – it’s like Floyd Mayweather fighting Niles Crane – but the development itself is a testament to how precarious Slaine’s stranglehold on Saazbaum’s power is, and how vulnerable he is to internal threats. At the moment, it’s advantage-Inaho.

Zephyr’s Quick Impressions:

If there’s a link between all the episodes of this second-cour so far, it’s the focus on the reasons behind not only the war itself, but also the reasons of the involved individuals themselves. Fact of the matter is, the individual motivation is something that doesn’t always mesh completely with the overall narrative of the war being fought, and it all boils down to the notion that everyone here has their own reason to fight. People change with the times, and there’s a lot to say here about how well they’re portraying the main cast and the development of their respective personalities, beliefs, and reasons as they’ve carried on in the war. Rayet’s certainly no longer the same person, Inaho’s voiced a clear desire to rescue the Princess, Marito’s no longer bound by his past, and the list goes on. The fact that all of this is happening amid a lull in the fighting also highlights both the pros and cons of being given a sudden break after nonstop fighting, and it really adds a realistic touch to see how everyone’s taking in things at their own respective pace. It may not be the most splendid depiction of the mental/psychological aspects of war, but it sure beats not having it mentioned at all.

All things considered, the narrative of ALDNOAH.ZERO continues to swing up, and the title of this episode ends up quite fitting. It really is the dawn of intrigue in many ways—even if you know Slaine’s going to make it out of this duel in one piece—and I’m interested in seeing how Mazuurek ends up changing the equation here before it’s all said and done. Will he survive to live on the world he has come to cherish? Will he survive just long enough to see the dawn of a new world? Or will he just die without ever having accomplished the mission entrusted to him by Inaho and Co? There’s a lot they can do with his character from this point forward, and arguably, it’s a plot line that might just rival the ongoing struggle between Slaine and Inaho—amazing considering how we were just introduced to the good Count not too long ago.

Before I end here, here’s some limited + exclusive ALDNOAH.ZERO Art Canvas (you can get them individually or as a two pack) that are being released in the near future. Bit pricey, but figured some of you out there would be interested. Did I mention there’s a planned Variable Action figure of the Tharsis? Yeah.

112 Comments

    5. While the obvious answer is Slaine will win, I’m rooting for some crazy out of left field loss that still keeps Slaine alive, and pushes him even deeper than his balls-deep run into insanity already appears to be.

      Drew
      Reply

  2. Well damn, we get a little bit of character development involving Inaho. His robo-eye might be taking over his brain.
    I hope we eventually get some gollum-smeagol style banter with him talking back and forth with it.
    Eye: …and I was thinking of giving you some interests or hobbies… You know, something you could do in your spare time. Maybe add a little personality…
    Inaho: No.
    Eye: Also I’ve noticed that the muscles you use to smile are nearly atrophied… Maybe we could smile, I don’t know, 30% more?
    Inaho: No.
    Eye: Damnit Inaho I just want what’s best for us.

    Nadester
    Reply

    3. You know instead of making him a robot that eyes given him a lot more human qualities than before combine with watching Seylum geting shot. When Inaho was talking about rescuing her I could hear real emtion and motivation in his voice, that´s a drive a whole lot more powerful tahn Slaine´s selfishness and obssesion.

      haseo0408
      Reply

    1. Agreed. There were numerous meaningful camera angles during the bird in the cage talks. Slaine is not a healthy individual. That said, I liked him more in this episode than I have in a while.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

      1. More of an Anti-Hero, or the archetypical rival character (Who usually happens to be an anti-hero most of the time) seen in many animes before, they usually go to the dark side and then are brought back to their senses after one final showdown (or a bishoudown as Enzo likes to call it) with their heroic rival -who is usually the main character- and the most recent example is Sasuke from Naruto, another example i like was Ryuhou from Scryed, and there is no denying that Slaine a that “trope” done right, his rise to power is interesting to watch, his motivations are clear and his methods are what make him an interesting anti-hero.

        Hunter-Wolf
        Reply

      2. How about the fact that he is actively supporting and now semi-leading an evil invading army that regularly commits mass murder against a peaceful people who did nothing to them? Pretty sure that’s evil. He even committed mass murder a few episodes ago blowing up a base of people simply to secure his position.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

    3. Slaine is not the protagonist. The main protagonist is Inaho.
        Slaine is deuteragonist and Antagonist.
      An antagonist (Slaine, Rival Inaho protagonist) is a character who represents the opposition against which the protagonist (Inaho) must fight. In other words, is a person, or a group of people opposed to the main character.

      It is sad that those who published the Spolier, is a fanatic fanboy by one of the characters, and creates partial and biased Spoliers, support your favorite character, and only makes criticisms of another character.

      Seujair31
      Reply

    4. https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2017%20-%2013.jpg

      I think that the princess is dead and all we have been watching was a hologram. If you look at the OP there is a scene where Slaine is crying at the princesses chamber and then he walks away and the camera focuses some device where the princesses tank should have been. It makes me think it’s a holographic projector. Slaine just made it to cope with the sadness that the princess is gone and he wasn’t able to save her.

      I could be totally wrong but that is something that came to mind while watching this episode. I hope I am wrong. =(

      Rudy 2639
      Reply

  4. oh my so much interesting intrigues in todays Aldnoah Zero
    -Inaho frees Count Mazuurek, and proves to Rayet she has changed
    -rival count challenges Slaine to duel
    -Inaho just as me is curious about Slaine’s true objectives
    -and the fake princess seems to have own plans in motion…

    ewok40k
    Reply

  5. https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2017%20-%20Large%2035.jpg
    The fab guy on the right be like the representation for Slaine-haters all over the community.

    https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2017%20-%20Large%2008.jpg
    While on the other end, I did not expect this guy and our Earth representative Inaho to be, like, buddies(?) and work together(?) like that. These kinds of not-so-big twists are what I’m loving in Aldnoah

    Red HeartGold ZX
    Reply

      2. https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=miles+edgeworth+objection&biw=1280&bih=677&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=vkHXVP6aGpLr8AWOm4C4Aw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#imgdii=_&imgrc=9goaXHAzz-BShM%253A%3BH61YUp9mhSRcvM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi14.photobucket.com%252Falbums%252Fa338%252Fultabomber%252FAce%252520Attorney%252FEdgeworth%252Fmiles-objectf.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.gaiaonline.com%252Fguilds%252Fviewtopic.php%253Ft%253D10539257%2526page%253D6%3B342%3B192

        and thus the badass red uniform. Now all it needs is a spiky-haired, blue-suit-wearing defense attorney…

        Red HeartGold ZX
        Reply

  7. If cour 1 had gone in a more coherent and clever way all the things happening now in cour 2 would be some grade B+/A stuff atm.
    They’re doing a rather proper job of working (and enhancing) what they’ve got into a really interesting and beautiful war love story. Slaine has settled in to this villainous anti-hero position and the character intrigue and development I’ve been wanting Inaho to have is really shining through.
    I like Aldnoah now that it’s like this, nothing is ridiculous like last season. Sure they could do a bit better with making it seem as though Inaho is the only competent living Terran to fight the Vers empire….but whatever.

    Kabble
    Reply

  9. This was a rather good episode. I like the introduction of some villains for Slaine because it grays his role a little bit. He was a fairly card carrying villain for the last few episodes (I’m sorry but it’s true, everything he did was stereotypical anime anti-villain stuff). This way if they DO try and make him not the villain in the end, we can see bits of that here.

    Also, the red kat looks like Weltall (see if anyone gets that), which is awesome.

    I think the big question with Slaine that remains is of course his endgame, but before that, why is he with VERS at all? They treat him like dirt, they’ve tortured him, they attempted to murder the girl he loves, they’re trying to wipe out his planet (which he doesn’t seem to care about, yet he never declares to anyone that he’s a martian). Was it just for advanced medical technology to save the princess? I doubt it, he’s in too deep for the answer to be that simple.

    I do think he’s cracked, hence all the meaningful camera pans and looks in this episode about birds in cages. I think the endgame will end up largely revolving around his internal conflict between the nice boy he was who the world crapped all over and the manipulative bastard he’s become. And I’m okay with that. It doesn’t make him a hero, but it does make him interesting.

    KaleRylan
    Reply

    1. And why does being manipulative, etc, or even prolonging the princess’ stasis (if we assume that is the case, but who knows) make him a “villain”? Being treated like dirt is not something which is unknown to our real world – we have discrimination, income inequality, prejudice etc. I suppose that doesn’t make us want to “leave” Earth. (but of course, we can’t leave, as of yet)

      And of course, the good thing about this show is that it is not a clear “hero” vs “villain” storyline. Indeed, what makes people so real is that there is no such thing as a “hero” or “villain”, it is just a matter of perspectives. X may think Y is pure evil, but that’s just because we associate with X.

      Actus
      Reply

      1. I’m sorry, but your opinion makes no sense, this is one of the most black and white stories in recent memory. The martians are insane card-carrying sociopaths who level cities and blew up the freaking moon.

        Slaine is now one of their leaders and has shown no sign of particularly caring about what they do to Earth or trying to stop them. He is (apparently) doing this for the freedom of the lower classes on Mars which makes no sense because Slaine is not a lower class martian and never was. In season 1 he was a well-meaning but ultimately pointless individual which basically caused all the problems. Season 2 he has morphed into an effective manipulator but has yet to show any particularly heroic reasons for all his crimes. Except for his sudden apparent concern for the martian lower classes. Which I don’t really buy but I guess it’s possible.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

    1. yeah, i too think that Count Mazuurek will get killed

      because in this Anime the “Soft guys” got killed, or was fored to get “Harder”. Just see it on Slaine, he was torn into Princess and Earth love, now he must become a Wolf to defend the Princess. Earth? he do not have the time and effort to think about Earth anyway. He has more important matters at hand. And yes, he is keeping the Hime-sama under his own personal control. He could just flip the Power button over for this Medical tank. But he is so obsessed with her, he would not do it… or we get to see a 2nd “Nice boat!” (insider), when Inaho somehow get his way to this Tank. Slaine would snap and his anger towars Inaho would lose all fuses he had for Earth and Hime-sama
      Slaine anchor is the Princess, and he is killing the Counts that he see as a thread to her. And looks like these racists Count’s are his top priority. Because Hime-sama loves Earth, and he do not want Hime-sama feel sad. Slaine is not much away of beeing to obseset with her. And i bet in some part of the Story, his “assistant” will betray him, too. i think he could be the “hidden Spy” of our old King, we saw in last season. But the old king would do him as he please, because this War is not what he wanted, it was forced opon him, because the Count’s wanted a reaction of Hime-sama’s dead, and in the end this was a fake. So my bet is the Old King will knew what Slaine is up to, perhaps he will tell him in the face, when Slaine will walk inside his Palace through the direct connections, and want to end his Life. All alarm sounds should go off, if Slaine begin to take preparations to exchange all life-support critical Aldonah Drivers from Old King to Princess Lemrina

      Inaho, know has push some “White Knight to rescue the damsel in Distress” plot onto this Mazuurek count. But as i said, he has so many Death flag uprise. Perhaps he can only find out where Hime-sama get hold, and then get killed, without getting the “drive” what Slaine is about

      Inaho will need to give Slaine a hand, because Slaine is a force to drive the VERS into internal problems and attacking their on necks, the Enemy of my Enemy is my friend and i think Earth want to give Slaine a hand, because he is a known Enemy and has feelings for Earth. Like Earth help the lower Monster to avoid a bigger one politics.

      Perhaps the situation in the ed of the OP, where both are trying to get hold of a Light, is someone her Light (Hime-sama) get away from them. Perhaps the count Mazuurek, will have to do with this. Perhaps he help her escape, and Hime-sama can not stand the Fight between them both and run away (let it be to Mars or the Land without turn back.. yes, the Land where she was on the borders two times around now. the Land of the dead)

      peace for earth and Mars and behond…
      Slaine need to get rid of the racists Count’s around the old Knight guards around earth, to fulfill Hime-samas dream.
      Inaho well, his truly drive you got to hear this episode. He want rescue Hime-sama to be free

      But dunno, in what Mars also VERS would play into account, in both of them. Perhaps the only role that Mars/VERS has to play except their Count’s is the Old King. Kill him and the civilian population on Mars/VERS is doomed. No change to reach Earth, and dwindling resources to life on Mars. No, if the show want not to make the civilian Mars population to die, they someone transfer them near earth, or right to earth. Where they can get food and resources to keep on living, turn the Mars Base into some kind of refugee camp. Trade shares with them.. well what they only have? only the Aldnoah Drive cores
      the question here is, how will feel like the loser of this War? Earth population or the Mars population? That is important for peace after the War. Sure they would be some peoples that let their Anger and loss of life onto the opposite force and threaten them, but that is the hard part of create a true peace, is it not?

      Aldnoah.Zero universe is rich on many Stories. But for the sake of this Show, just let us focus only on Slaine + Inaho + Hime-sama world surroundings, for the best impact onto our memories. The world of code geass, also only focused around Lelounch + his sister + Suzaku and surroundings, and it is still good in our memories. you do not need to show the entire World war

      sorry for this long post, hope you still read it though the end. thank you very much

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

      1. OMG, I didn’t expect such a long reply for my very short comment.

        All I can say is that I don’t really know what are Slaine’s intentions. He did say that he wants to change the VERS empire from within but sometimes I feel like there’s something more. You know, he wants things to change for the better but it doesn’t look like he’s seeking peace (or at least he’s not doing it in a peaceful manner) ; he wants to see the Princess’s smile again but he this episode it felt like he wants her to keep sleeping (maybe he’s afraid that the princess will hate his way his way of doing things and he wants her to wake up once everything is finished?). I think we need more episode to understand his motives. Is he trying to turn himself into an anti-hero or is he slowly turning into a villain?

        As for Inaho, whether he’ll help Slaine or not later on will depend on Slaine’s true intentions. But I bet they’ll both stay “rivals” until the end. Mostly because I think that Inaho wants the Princess safe and by his side more than anything else.

        I just hope it won’t become a big cockfight for their Hime-sama.

        GYUZ
        Reply

      2. sorry, for that. But as you can guess, this Anime here has a special place inside my memories, because of the story telling. they do not fear to show racisms, hate, obsession and other dark side of Humanity. Yes, even Mars/Vers are humans

        WorldwideDepp
        Reply

  11. Inaho’s eye will probably short out near the end when he battles Slayne, due to overuse to counter the Tharsis’ ability. Slayne is getting creepier and creepier BTW.
    Also, I’m expecting Mazuurek to die at some point, after all, Crutheo was the last loyal Orbital Knight we saw, and it didn’t end well for him. Possibly, he’ll be killed by Slayne, which will be an ironic echo of Saazbaum killing Crutheo.

    weird-d
    Reply

  12. I don’t think people translated that scene correctly. Slaine has been shown in the past to cry over the fact that Asseylum is in there, and he told Eddelrittuo in a very hopeful and wishful tone that one day Asseylum will awaken. Go look back at the scene again in episode 14. Does that really sound like a crazy person who wants to keep someone in a cage forever?

    I think that the whole cage/bird analogy was talking a little about Asseylum, but mostly about Lemrina. The do the analogy twice with her, who because she is illegitimate and can’t walk and was made a tool by Saazbaum, she is that flightless caged bird. Asseylum lived a very sheltered life, not allowed to see the world around her and lived in her castle for most of it. She too was caged.

    As expected Lemrina is chafing at being Slaine’s tool while he lovingly coos to his caged bird, and this has led to her granting a live audience to Marylcian and Barouhcruz.

    Umm, considering it was Saazbaum who found her and kept her on the moon base, Saazbaum who had her do those speeches, and that Slaine only took over for the recently dead count days ago, and hasn’t really done anything with Lemrina since, I’d says that she was more of Saazbaum’s tool than Slaine’s.

    Irenesharda
    Reply

    1. You seem to have REALLY strong fan goggles on. Everyone else sees that Slaine has gone a bit crazy. This episode is not mistranslated or out of nowhere or anything like that. The boy is NOT A HERO. He is obsessively, dementedly in love with a memory despite going completely against the real woman’s wishes. His arc this season has been defined by deceit, betrayal, mass-murder, arrogance, obsession, and lots of other fun little traits.

      Even his supposed desire to save the poor people in VERS doesn’t make a ton of sense. Slaine was never a poor person. He’s fanatically loyal to the imperial family. More so than the Orbital Knights who mostly pay lip service while just being one-note sociopaths.

      I don’t think it’s as simple as Inaho the white knight and Slaine the insane villain, but Slaine is NOT healthy.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

  13. For those who’ve been complaining that Inaho thinks too small (a tactician rather than a strategist) I think this episode conclusively proves otherwise.

    Still really hasn’t proved it to me, since he’s still look at a single target for a single outcome. His mind is single focused on the princess, not really on anything requiring multiple factors or the war endgame as a whole. I don’t knock he for what he did, I did think his little thing with the count was cool, but it doesn’t make me think he’s a strategist.

    Irenesharda
    Reply

    1. Again, Earth has no endgame. They don’t want to conquer VERS, they don’t want to end VERS, nor is VERS’s strategy towards Earth so complex it requires complex tactics to beat. They keep launching attacks and Earth keeps defending. That’s it.

      One could make some argument for going on the offensive to end the war, but as far as we’ve been shown, Earth has no capacity to do that and as strong as Inaho is, he can’t fight the whole VERS army alone unless they continue coming to him one by one.

      Saving Asseylum serves two purposes anyway. One, he wants to save her for personal reasons. Two, as shown last season, getting her to discredit the war is probably the only card Earth has, which is why the VERS keep doing everything in their power to stop it.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

      1. But note that the funny thing is that all the fighting scenes seem to have Inaho absolutely pwning the Martians. Which is funny because it seems to show the audience that Martians are not actually that strong.

        Actus
        Reply

      2. @Actus

        The Vers knights have been losing because they are always full of themselves and too arrogant they always underestimate Inaho’s capabilities, 2nd thing that makes them look weak us that they aren’t that co-ordinated .. each group of them seem to be acting on their own and only working to expand their own territories through sheer force .. there seems to be no strategy what so ever on the Vers side .. they just have advanced technology and that’s it.

        Those reasons and the fact they have been using the same tactic Dr.Hell had used in Mazinger, it’s the monster of the week curse .. if Inaho is actually faced with two or three Knights at the same time they could overwhelm him with sheer force .. but they are always attacking him one at a time .. guess you could say that this also has to do with their cocky attitude and pride .. admitting they need more than one knight to defeat a lowly earth Kataphrakt is like a big insult to their ego.

        Hunter-Wolf
        Reply

      3. Vers rely too much on technological superiority rather than tactical competence to carry the day. Put them in a Terran Kat and they would die like dogs very quickly.

        The Vers nobles who actually gave Inaho much trouble was the one with the rocket punch Kat due to her Kat acting as a sort of artillery (always bad for the mechanized infantry), Saazbaum who learnt to change up his tactics after he got himself mauled the last time and Slaine who is actually a pretty good pilot with clairvoyance cheese.

        Mincemaker
        Reply

    2. Irenesharda is a fanatic of Animesuki forum, which took place Tess.
      He claims that Slaine is good at jugar people because of their instincts, when the anime proof to the contrary, Lemrina and Saazbaum, both have spoken clearly, that has bad intentions against Asseylum, and warned they would do something bad against Asseylum, If Saazbaum thanks to Slaine judgments about Saazbaum, Asseylum ended up in a coma, now the same thing is happening Lemrina with her, she is already beginning to act. Slaine not intende the true nature of people, he does not know to judge the character of the peopl, he does not see the true intentions and evil of people

      Furthermore Irenesharda says Inaho not understand people, and Inaho is focused on logic and facts, when the anime proves the contrary, Inaho unlike Slaine, fully understand the dreams of Asseylum, and desires, he perfectly understood the Rayet situation in both cases, understood the count, showing that he intende more people that Slaine.
      Irenesharda attaches much to your personal wishes and fanatasias, and tries to force ideals on others, through distortions of the facts
      want to discuss about the episode 7, see this title topic http://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1351933 Against facts there are no arguments. Real evidence, Inaho acting in self-defense Episode 7.

      Seujair31
      Reply

      2. He shot him through the eye socket. It’s not really a miss. It really should have killed him. There’s a reason we all kind of said it was bull-crap in the first episode that Inaho survived.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

    1. wrong, Penguins can fly. Not in the Air, they use their Wings to “fly” underwater. Through their wings they are very fast under water and that make them Birds under the Water

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

      1. yep, their Backup guard to know if someone is following them

        i knew from the start, when the alarm ring on the ship and the count got away, that he had help from outside…

        WorldwideDepp
        Reply

      4. but that aside, do you know what? Earth Defense has know an Mars Mecha. Sure, it is heavy damage, but perhaps they could dismantle him, and put the critical parts into a Earth Defense Mecha, so kind of upgrade them with Vers Technology. They have someone that can reactivate the Drive

        Perhaps Inaho#s Orange Mecha gets a Aldnoah driver upgrade we all wanted, and this counts Mecha is the source for it

        WorldwideDepp
        Reply

    1. first we need to screenplay, that tells Inaho where she is exactly. We as spectators know this though Slaine. But Inaho and Earth still do not know nothing. And the only one, that know the current hime-sama is a fake, is Inaho. So i wonder in how they convince the Deucalion crew to help him, or turn Earth Defense force on his side, with the Fake Princess matter.. Do not forget, i think i saw some “we are adults Officers, and you are just Brats!. Know you Place!” proud walls, inside the Earth Army. And thats why they do not know what do to really with Deucalion. So not only Slaine has to fight intern fights. it is also Inaho and Crew

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

    3. creeping chauvinism (seriously – must every scene with the females at Trident Base be B-grade fanservice and shallow self-obsession?)

      Chauvinism and B-grade fan-service !!!, are you sure we are watching the same show !!?, it’s far from Chauvinism and B-grade fan-service, girls talking about diet is now Chauvinism, really .. have you ever seen girls women talking in real life before !!!!, surprise but many of them do talk about their bodies/figures and diet and exchange advice specially during lunch breaks … it happens and it has nothing to do with Chauvinism whatsoever (and don’t tell me you consider that running “date” joke between the Captain and her XO Chauvinism too !!!?).

      And where is that b-grade fan-service !!? (so now there is C-grade fan-service and A-grade fan-service !!?), and don’t tell me you mean this is fan-service nowadays !!!
      https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2017%20-%20Large%2019.jpg

      That’s fanservice —> http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/8v4lRzFrDXY/hqdefault.jpg

      Hunter-Wolf
      Reply

      1. Yeah, this is one of those things where I do think you have to accept cultural differences. I don’t always say that because in major things, I think sexism is sexism regardless of culture. But when it comes to something as minor as diet, just let it go and accept that to the Japanese, this is a perfectly normal conversation between women.

        I live in Japan, I’m married to an Asian, and yes, dieting is a near constant conversation topic between her and her friends. Now, there’s definitely some sexism behind that fact, but it’s the same sort of sexism that makes most girls wear skirts. I have no intention of losing it over female fashion and I have no intention of losing it over dieting (which men in Asia do too. Being skinny is IMPORTANT here).

        KaleRylan
        Reply

  21. It seems to me that Slaine is going to go lose it when the princess finally wakes up and the first name she calls out for is Inaho, not Slaine. I think that will finally tip the scales and crystallize his view that Inaho is his enemy, and (by psychotic extension) so is the rest of Earth. Final battle – corrupted Slain vs brain-dying Inaho.

    Slaine has spent so much time idolizing the princess that he acts like they are already in a relationship – an unhealthy one at that. Because of their history I would have loved to have seen Slaine and the princess together initially, but I don’t know if at this point she would accept an “I did it all for you” defense.

    7godeohs
    Reply

  22. So the running theme seems to be that Slaine has gone a bit psycho. But nevertheless, I still thinks he should be deemed as a “hero” rather than a “villain”.

    Firstly, there is nothing inherently wrong with being obsessive. We see it all the time – especially those who scream at the sight of celebrities. (with perhaps the local security at the time stopping them from getting too close) Indeed, it can hardly be said that Slaine is obsessive. Asseylem was shot in the head. It would not be a far cry to say that people who are shot in the head may fall into a coma, as many do after severe accidents to the head. Thus, there is no premise to use the caged-bird analogy when it seems to be the only thing keeping her alive.

    There is also nothing “evil” in what Slaine is doing. With respect to him fighting Earth rather than against Mars, there is nothing wrong in that. He simply chose a side – the side which he was raised in. As for why he still fights for Mars when he is treated badly, there are a variety of reasons, but regardless, this is still not a ground to argue that Slaine is “evil”.

    As for being manipulative, backstabbing, and obsessive, there is nothing inherently “evil” in that either. This is not something out of the ordinary: manipulative in real life could be persuading people, backstabbing could easily be gossiping, and being obsessive could easily be with respect to objects (e.g. games). No one is perfect.

    Thus Slaine’s psyche does not have any bearing as to whether he is “evil” or a “villain”. Those are mere labels that really doesn’t add any value to Slaine as a character.

    Actus
    Reply

    1. Umm… having an obsessive personality (not a ‘fan’ but actually obsessive) is genuinely defined as a form of mental illness. Not a dangerous one necessarily, though it certainly can be when it’s directed at a person.

      As for the rest of your points I’m just going to say: Wow. So someone who’s manipulative, backstabbing, and obsessive doesn’t have problems? Ok, good luck with that. Also, being a gossip is a poor character trait. I would hope you were taught that much. And slaine isn’t a gossip, he’s a backstabbing murderer. Not the same.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

  23. https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2017%20-%20Large%2013.jpg
    To be frank, it often feels painful to watch Slaine be like this; I am glad he was actually talking to someone, who was the little maid, instead of talking to the princess.

    On the side note,
    https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2017%20-%20Large%2028.jpg
    The young lad really needs to spend more time with her. Or obviously she will get more dere dere by the second.

    L002
    Reply

  24. I’m rather surprised that the series was able to go through an entire episode without a hint of action while remaining somehow interesting.

    It’s funny how the commander said Mazuurek was the silent type yet this entire episode he did nothing but blab to Inaho. I do like that his is one of the counts who is capable of actually having character development but I feel like he believed Inaho’s story a little to quickly. Inaho had absolutely NO proof behind his claims and it would have been easy to dismiss it as a lie. The only proof he has is his “all seeing eye” which is a bit of stretch for Mazuurek to almost instantly believe him for that reason (it makes his eye even MORE of deus ex than it was before honestly).

    Mazuurek did hold Earth in high regard and was never really serious in his fight on Earth which makes the idea of him turning good guy at least make a little sense. Even so I have to wonder………..what does this show have against flashbacks? I mean Slaine and Marito are only people who got one that I remember and they were pretty short. Yet with everyone esle we are stuck with these “tell don’t show” scenario that sort of cheat us out of any proper characterization or proper explanation of how events transpire. I’d like to know more about Mazuurek’s past but I suppose that’s going to have to be left up to my imagination.

    Also Inaho is going to get a court martial for this right? I mean it’s bad enough that he let the prisoner escape but even went as far to aide them in making a return to their base? Standard protocol right there. Are there no cameras? I mean shit this is the FIRST MARTIAN that they’ve captured and he has no sort of security or surveillance on him. Oh but of course since Inko is conveniently the ONLY person who saw this happen he’ll get away with it. Jesus Inaho will always manage to remain without sin forever huh? By the way why hasn’t Inaho told anyone about this plan of his? It’s not like the commander has ever disagreed with him before. He could literally just use “Well you know……..magic eye” and she’d look the other way. I know they have to manufacture some sort of tension on the boring Earth side but this situation doesn’t exactly make much sense.

    Not really finding Rayet’s standard “REVENGE” story to be that interesting. It’s not that I don’t feel sympathetic towards the fact her father died but it has more to do with how she STILL cannot see that his actions were wrong. Now I can generally give a semi-pass to people who at least have a decent motivation for doing bad things. Didn’t most people like Light despite the fact he was a power hungry douche? I don’t find it all that surprising though since even his actions were messed up at times the thought of seeing his goal accomplished allowed many to look past it. That’s my thoughts on Slaine as well at the time.

    But Rayet’s father didn’t really have a goal other than to raise the status of his family. He didn’t want to have his people prosper, he didn’t have a motivation to be all that angry with the princess etc.
    Now yes doing whatever you can for your family is indeed relatable and something we’d likely ALL do if it came down to it and his case is more proof at how terrible life is for the lower class Martians. I suppose the lack of any sort of flashback or incite on what ended up driving him to commit such an act makes it rather difficult to care all that much about him or his actions. We are never shown much about Rayet’s father and her past in general is lacking many details. Yet another reason why the “tell don’t show” gimmick can alienate the audience from your characters. Also she’s turned into a tsundere now………..classy anime is classy. I also like how the summary of Inaho and Rayet’s conversations are simply “I am! No your not! I am! No your not!” 😛

    Can’t wait to see Slaine kick some ass though I assume the racist Martian will end up cheating in the fight (you could argue that Slaine being able to see the future is cheating i guess). Doesn’t really matter since that Slaine/Inaho plot armor is to strong :P.

    I’m starting to see a setup for the “Both main characters who are enemies teaming up” coming with this setup. I’m sure Mazuurek with find what Slaine is up too and MAYBE Inko will reveal what Inaho did (though I doubt it). Both will be branded traitors, some new random villain will show up and BAM! Epic team up complete! 😉

    leatherhead333
    Reply

    1. Also Inaho is going to get a court martial for this right?

      Let’s not fool ourselves here. I only recall one instance in the realm of anime when this was done to the protagonist. It was Gundam 0083. The conclusion I’m led to: no chance in hell of this ever happening.

      Jesus Inaho will always manage to remain without sin forever huh?

      I’m glad you understand.

      I want Urobuchi back for the last episode.

      sherrislok
      Reply

  26. creeping chauvinism (seriously – must every scene with the females at Trident Base be B-grade fanservice and shallow self-obsession?)

    Chauvinism and B-grade fan-service !!!, are you sure we are watching the same show !!?, it’s far from Chauvinism and B-grade fan-service, girls talking about diet is now Chauvinism, really .. have you ever seen girls women talking in real life before !!!!, surprise but many of them do talk about their bodies/figures and diet and exchange advice specially during lunch breaks … it happens and it has nothing to do with Chauvinism whatsoever (and don’t tell me you consider that running “date” joke between the Captain and her XO Chauvinism too !!!?).

    And where is that b-grade fan-service !!? (so now there is C-grade fan-service and A-grade fan-service !!?), and don’t tell me you mean this is fan-service nowadays !!!
    https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2017%20-%20Large%2019.jpg

    That’s fanservice —> http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/8v4lRzFrDXY/hqdefault.jpg

    Hunter-Wolf
    Reply

  27. I’m waiting for the fake princess to have a dialogue with Inaho. Assuming he doesn’t have Asseylum in stasis intentionally and she awakens, jealously could be a powerful thing. That could lead to a rescue.

    Lyfe
    Reply

  28. I could do without Rayet’s crying jags (can we see one of those from one of the boys, maybe?) but compared to the other teen females on Trident, she’s a veritable tower of strength and depth of character.

    We already got too much of this from Marito in season 1

    Juan
    Reply

  29. Against facts there are no arguments. Real evidence, Inaho acting in self-defense Episode.

    [img]http://i.imgur.com/ZTdgFJu.jpg[/img]
    [img]http://i.imgur.com/RCQIf85.jpg[/img]
    [img]http://i.imgur.com/Xsx9u46.jpg[/img]

    Slaine is an exact Copies of Bizon Gerafil – Buddy Complex

    [img]http://i.imgur.com/Q0g54GW.jpg[/img]

    Seujair31
    Reply

    1. Bizon! You have a really good point there but at least Slaine is capable of disguising his insanity and obssesion to some degree, Bizon was out his mind and only obtain power thanks to his knowledge or world events not becuase of his intelligence.

      haseo0408
      Reply

  30. Inaho was able to figure out about the false hime all because of the Rayleigh scattering phenomenon, before relying to his analytical eye engine.

    *salutes to Lord Rayleigh for discovering it*

    Reikakou
    Reply

  31. “it’s impossible to discount the possibility that he’s gone balls-out sociopath – his narcissism and megalomania convincing him that Mars, Earth and everyone attached to them (especially Asseylum) are his to toy with and dispose of as he pleases”

    Impossibleto discount? Slaine might have a little sanity left so he can pretend infront of the Orbital Knights but I got a horrible chill down my spine when he was talking about cages birds, the same as when I read Misery and I got to know the real Anni Wilkes or when The Man in Black talked about how Nadine Cross was his to play in The Stand. The moment he decided to use Saazbaun to keep Seylum alive he departed the sweet land of sanity, now it´s just a question of how fast his facade will crumble away.

    haseo0408
    Reply

      2. Really, his eye is ‘hack’ now? In a series where the other lead has a robot that literally lets him SEE THE FUTURE? Having ‘hack’ pieces of equipment is literally what this entire series revolves around and Inaho’s eye is, if anything, the most minor example of that considering it’s basically just a built in computer/lie detector.

        I’m not saying Inaho isn’t OP, of course he is. Him being a marty stu is a pretty big part of the series, but the eye is a fairly minor part of that.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

    2. Yeah, I know what you mean man, This is the scene that make me angry and rather confusing at why there’s always tendency the Main Character to become someone Naive by nature. And whatever the evil guy doing is always forgiven and the evil guy can run loose without punishment.

      lehur
      Reply

  37. for me, I think The Slaine’s Objective much like How he struggle to become someone who as equal as noble or perhaps royal. He want to safe Asseylum herself not his idea (peace) though. And eventually after his position changed, He can become someone who can standing next to her not as servant or underrated person perhaps and not as friend either, well I like to see it to the End of Episode

    lehur
    Reply

  38. Yeah, those tidbits with the females kinda grinds my gears a bit. Almost every scene with the girls talk about superficial concerns like breast sizes or crushes and other stereotypical things attributed to females. Like it’s okay once in a while, but when it’s a continuous trend, it gets dumb. Ironically Rayet is possibly the most interesting female character in this story (but that’s not really saying much considering the competition).

    On the plus side, the plot is advancing pretty well, and I’m glad we finally have a martian that doesn’t see things one-sidely and could be a nice plot point. Looking forward to how Slayer (Slaine) crushes that dude with the curls.

    chromenova
    Reply

    1. But then, the show should perhaps not gone to deep and wide in the Backgrounds. Because we could lose the Track, in how is how. To much Infos can ruin the Meal for us, okay except the hardcore fans, that even want to know the 3 Sizes and Blood-type of the Girls

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

    2. to the Anim sound Staff:

      Be sure to give the Star Trek Console Sound effects your respect. Bow three times and make the “Life Long and Prosperity” Mr. Spock Vulcan Finger Symbol. i Want to see that in the next ED. i do not hear you!!! i want to her a “SIR! YES SIR!”

      🙂

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

  42. Hey there, I think your website might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your website in Opera, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, terrific blog!

    Freeman Bottalico
    Reply

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