Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova / First Impressions

「人ならざる者」 (Hito Narazaru Mono)
“Not Human”

They say that life is full of pleasant surprises. This week’s episode was definitely one of them. As expected, the defeat of Kirishima and Haruna pave the way for game changing developments—including the roll out of the Vibration Warhead and Iona’s realization of what it means to feel regret and satisfaction. The significant developments however, end up happening away from the I-401 and her crew, as we get an episode focused purely on Haruna, Kirishima (now 1000x cuter), and Osakabe Makie. This gives us an episode unlike any that came before—and a spectacular one at that.

Since the first episode, a major theme of Ars Nova has been the question of what it means to be human and the difference between artificial and natural intelligence. We’ve seen first hand how significant Gunzou’s presence has been to Iona and the changes that the Fog have undergone since their deployment of Mental Models. The use of tactics, independent action (Takao), displays of emotion and curiosity are just some such changes. In this regard, this fifth episode is no different from the rest in terms of thematic exploration. What does set it apart, is how it ends up being explored.

Whereas the previous episodes had Iona, Takao, or a few moments of tea time as the major sources of exposition, this week gives us our first significant look into how Mental Models react in a real-life environment. More importantly, we see it from their view. It’s a perspective that has been mostly absent thus far, and it’s a game changer in regards to their development and how I see them. They’re no longer robotic dolls following the orders of a faceless entity. With each passing week, they’re becoming more and more human, with Kirishima and Haruna’s exploration of the Osakabe manor akin to a child exploring a new place. Their realization of what it means to be truly free, the obvious attachment they’ve developed with Makie, and their implied acceptance of Toujuurou’s request highlight this further. And although the episode does end up on a cliffhanger, it’s obvious they’re going to try and protect Makie. Provided they do, it’s an action that will only further distance themselves from the Fog they used to be—especially when you consider the potential empathy they may feel in regards to someone who “isn’t human” either.

That said, it’s not just all thematic exploration or serious topics this week. Topping things off are some priceless moments in regards to Haruna’s jacket, Makie’s clothing, Kirishima’s “revival,” and Takao’s arrival at Iwoto, and what we get is a fabulous episode that gives us a bit of everything. As with Episode 03, Ars Nova demonstrates its continued ability to impress even without flashy battle scenes, and it takes a special kind of series to pull that off without its main characters present. But, I suppose that’s why we’re getting these T-Shirts…

Full-Lengths: 07, 08, 09, 10, 11

 

ED2 Sequence

ED2: 「Innocent Blue」by Trident

End Card

84 Comments

  1. If a human being ask himself those questions consatntly it will only be a meter of time it drives him crazy, I can´t even begin to imagine what it will do to the Fog Fleet once the Mental Models start questioning themselfs.

    haseo0408
    Reply

  3. I cannot take any scene with Kirishima in it seriously any more.

    Leaving that aside, I wonder how they’ll protect Makie. It’s not like they have a ship to leave on. Even if it occurred to them, I’m not sure they’re ready to go the outright treason route of asking Gunzou for help. It seems unlikely that Haruna would have enough viable nanomaterials left to repurpose a human ship for their needs, but going overland would be moving through enemy territory, and I doubt Makie’s really in any condition for that sort of thing.

    And there’s another limiting factor. If she needs that much medication to survive, can they even cut and run with her? All the design children clearly had very poor health: can she even survive without access to a good medical center?

    Wanderer
    Reply

    1. My actual take on this episode? Well, as soon as I saw a teddy bear leaping in the OP sequence, I figured we were in for another high octane navy battle. But, I guess I was wrong. Not quite as action-packed, but I agree it was another entertaining episode.

      I never realized Haruna had the potential to be so cute. Until now, that is. Kirishima’s reincarnation into Yotarou, and her ensuing actions were pretty cute too. Loved the way the three interacted with each other throughout. And that bath scene. First ever done completely in CG, perhaps? Either way those bubbles sure do stick to their…

      *cough* Oh, and plot. Can’t forget that plot. In the end there, I believe Haruna, and possbily Kirishima too, will decide to stay and protect Makie from Seal Team 6. As for complete defection, I don’t know, but those newfangled things called feelings and emotions can make mental models do unusual things, to say the least.

      Speaking of endings, I guess everyone grew tired of reaching for each other in a straight line, and decided to curve the path a bit. Gotta have variety in your life.

      In short, this episode was very cute, and will love Takao & Haruna long time.

      Unlucky Star
      Reply

    2. Also, sorry Wanderer, but it turns out I’m quite good at accidentally replying to another person’s comment, instead of posting a new comment. Feel free to berate me both physically and verbally. I swear I’m not M.

      As fore legit responses:

      “I cannot take any scene with Kirishima in it seriously any more.”
      Agreed, as even the show’s music gave up in the very first scene Kirishima become one with the bear. 😉

      “If she needs that much medication to survive, can they even cut and run with her?”
      A good point. One way I see it happening, would be for Haruna or ‘Yotarou’ to discover how it’s made, and somehow recreate the medication using nano-materials. That would be pretty convenient, but unlikely.

      Unlucky Star
      Reply

  4. The development of mental models has certainly elevated this show above the usual battle anime. This episode got along just fine without any extended naval battles. I’m liking the increasing complexity of the Fog; it makes this show more than just a routine good guy Vs. bad guy exercise. Neither has it devolved into a fan service heavy harem show. Right now the amount of fan service is about optimal IMO (i.e, it exists but it doesn’t subtract from the broader story).

    Absaroka
    Reply

  5. Interesting changes they made.
    Makie now needs meds to eat while in the manga Show Spoiler ▼

    Toujuurou is now Makie’s father instead of her grandfather. Also why the government is involved has been changed as wellShow Spoiler ▼

    Now that the army is involved i hope to see Show Spoiler ▼

    Show Spoiler ▼

    MrTerrorist
    Reply

    1. Actually, Tojuro wasn’t portrayed as Makie’s grandfather in the manga at all. He was the Makie’s guardian, Lawrence, and that wasn’t the only change they made to his character. >_>

      daikama
      Reply

  6. In the beginning I did not like Haruna at all, but this episode brought out her cuteness. 🙂 She’s like a girl with chuunibyou!

    As for the series, it has become very interesting indeed. It’s not your usual battle anime. This season really had many hidden gems.

    pahlavi
    Reply

    2. New Entry Found!

      Haruharu:

      “Haruna” redirects here. For other uses, see Haruna (disambiguation).

      A Fleet of Fog battleship whose mental model takes the form of a teenage girl wearing nothing but underwear underneath a large coat that covers her entire body. Amount of emotion displayed tends to be directly proportional to amount of skin being shown. Possesses a strong desire to be spared from something or someone.

      Entry tagged. Categorized. Recorded.

      As I was happy to see more of Takao this week, Haruna earned major points this week, and has officially been conscripted to join my fleet. :3

      Unlucky Star
      Reply

      3. Dare I make yet another comment involving both events from this show and sexual innuendo? Dare I?
        No, I must resist. Yes, maybe someone else will do it, who knows…

        …kfdjdahljkdfas can resist no longer!

        *deep breath*
        Takao was momentarily stunned by a torpedo that was shoved into the bow of her hull, but never went off!

        …*weeps silently in a corner*

        Unlucky Star
        Reply

      4. Not only that…. Iona’s taking the vibration warheads in her

        And a certain megane battleship seems to hate the addition of Takao. Takao got bitch slapped be a torpedo right in her face

        c2710
        Reply

  9. Episode was like a Haruna service episode. Wasn’t really expecting it to be such a lol-fest. Kinda surprised that there was absolutely no Gunzou or Iona in it as well. But i’m not gonna complain~ Haruna does show her cute side quite abit in this episode XD

    Euzio
    Reply

  13. We’ve seen first hand how significant Gunzou’s presence has been to Iona and the changes that the Fog have undergone since their deployment of Mental Models

    actually, I think we haven’t seen enough in that matter. Gunzou has managed to influence Takao more than Iona. and he hasn’t met her personally yet!
    Iona is still kinda robot, she does everything Gunzou say. yet we can see she reflect about those matters, but still I don’t feel something significant enough when talking about her. si it’s kinda fuzzy there. I guess it’s on purpose.

    the episode was kinda different this time. we barely got to see Iona, Gunzou and the others. most of it focused on the fog (mostly Haruna) and the philosophical question between human and AI. it’s still fuzzy to me whether they are fully-AI or manipulated one in some way. it reminds me some aspect from madoka – with only body and soul aside, you can be much better, yet what it says about?that you are a robot completely or not?
    I mean…there is a lot of what to think in that matter and this episode continue to try demonstrate it to us as possible.

    I wonder what will be with our new character Makie. she seems important not only in terms of those philosophical questions, but also in terms of plot development. I hope we’ll see progress in that matter related to her.

    p.s
    Takao has reached Iwoto. for a moment I thought it was Iwatobi (“FREE”) and I was like “Ha?!?!” kinda LOL

    thedarktower
    Reply

    1. Well yes, Gunzou hasn’t had as much impact on Iona compared to Takao, but there have been some noticeable changes either way, and all of them are due to Gunzou’s presence.

      On that note though, when you think about it, it’s quite interesting how the person closest to Gunzou actually ends up changing the slowest. Or at least, it seems like she is. One wonders if it’s not partially because she’s having more difficulties processing the extra experiences she gets compared to the others… or if not, it’d be a good commentary on how people tend to take what’s closest to them for granted. Kinda.

      Zephyr
      Reply

      1. Iona has never been defeated by Gunzou. That seems to be the biggest catalyst. Fighting him, dealing with mounting frustration and confusion and other emotions which they don’t know how to handle as he outmaneuvers them through behavior that they cannot understand, and then actually defeating them despite being inferior to them in every way that they can comprehend. It exposes them to a lot of emotion that they have no idea how to handle, and the contradiction of defeat seems to break their brains a little.

        Wanderer
        Reply

  14. Since you dove into the main themes of this episode quite well Zephy, I guess that leaves me with only one thing to say:

    *Ahem*

    Haruna dress up and bath time are amazing experiences. Now stop touching her twintails, loli – twintails are a national treasure!

    Stilts
    Reply

  15. We’re kinda getting into FullMetal Alchemist First Series territory where the overall narrative is starting to get warped and going rogue. They need to tread lightly because I’m skeptical and anime original storyline can stack up to the manga which is pretty darn good imo.

    Spike
    Reply

  17. It’s a little weird, this episode. On one hand, I really liked the treatment of Kirishima. On the other hand, unlike the director’s choices so far, that was the treatment of a character most like in the manga, complete with over the top reactions. It reminds me of what they chose to drop (SD characters, exaggerated expressions, etc..)

    Also, am I the only one who felt like they were inspired by Ted? (I’ve read the manga, it didn’t feel the same.)

    Rasen
    Reply

      1. You will not talk about that fiasco in this holy sanctuary!
        You will not treat GuP like a cheap toys advertising without a story and decent characters!
        The only thing you will talk about in here is about Arpeggio!

        So know your role, and shut your damn mouth!

        SeedStriker
        Reply

  21. so, as expected, they made considerable changes to the haruna-makie storyline (not that those are bad). but i must say, they actually made that whole dress up scene a lot more hilarious.

    and, oh, God! that “Shakii-n!!” just made haruharu way cuter than her manga counterpart! <3

    now i wonder how they will handle the next part of this plot Show Spoiler ▼

    flamerounin
    Reply

  22. Since some people thought my manga vs. anime comparison was useful last time, I’ve done the same thing in the spoilers below. Please note that I made sure not to include any possible spoilers for the anime in the first two lists. Two possible (and if so minor IMO) spoilers are separately listed after.

    Hope this proves useful to those who are interested or have questions after watching this episode.

    I-401/Iona changes/explanations
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Makie and Tojurou Osakabe changes/explanations. Warning – this is really LONG list (lots of changes)
    Show Spoiler ▼

    There’s an important (IMO) Haruna line potentially left out. Might be included next ep (no cluse) so putting it in a separate spoiler tag.
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Another important detail (IMO). Frankly, I don’t think this is even a spoiler since at the very end we see a bunch of troops exit military vehicles, an “Alert” warning flashing in the mansion “control center”, etc.
    Show Spoiler ▼

    daikama
    Reply

    1. Thanks for the insight daikama. I’m definitely enjoying this anime but as you or someone else suggested in an earlier episode discussion – waiting for the anime to finish before delving into the source material.

      RifuloftheWest
      Reply

  25. The fact that every MM that has come in contact with humans have started to gain free will is something to note. Takao went full Tsundere after knowing Gunzou, Haruna gained compassion after knowing Makie and Kirishima went full huggable after Makie :p
    They have started to be more sentient and independant, more human. Maybe that’s the real intention of the Admirality Code and the main reason why it didn’t ordered the Fleet of the Fog to destroy us completely.

    Battleships Power Ranking after ep 5: Takao, Haruna, Kongou, Iona, Kirishima, Loli Subs, Maya (Hyuga is still left to see, even after the Torp-Slap over Takao)

    SeedStriker
    Reply

  27. Haruna has just shot up on my scale, but Takao is still at the top.

    Does anyone know what do German words that’s shown on the hull of I-401 in the opening mean? Its been bugging me for awhile…..a Japanese submarine with German words…..

    Klaz
    Reply

    1. The text is from the poem “Sprüche des Konfuzius” (Aphorisms/Proverbs of Confucius) by Friedrich Schiller:

      “Dreifach ist der Schritt der Zeit: / Zögernd kommt die Zukunft hergezogen, / Pfeilschnell ist das Jetzt entflogen, / Ewig still steht die Vergangenheit.”

      “Threefold is the march of time / While the future slow advances, / Like a dart the present glances, / Silent stands the past sublime.”

      Nipah
      Reply

  28. I like how they portray Iona in these recent episodes, as how she slowly ‘become more human’, since in the manga Show Spoiler ▼

    I still wish they didn’t have to prioritise showing Iona’s growth over other stuff though. It feels less enjoyable than it should be

    Ashkem
    Reply

  29. I’m seriously hoping that the next episode won’t be messed up or anything, seeing as how they’ve made one key change Show Spoiler ▼

    Flagen
    Reply

    1. In regards to the change
      Show Spoiler ▼

      On an unrelated note, this adaptation is blazing through the chapters! This episode recounts the events of volume 4 (with some key changes), whereas the current manga is still on its 8th! Show Spoiler ▼

      AnoBakaDesu
      Reply

  30. Pretty good episode, though I would’ve preferred going the route of the manga, because of the greater complexity in the political and emotional landscape. Still, I guess it wasn’t absolutely necessary when the show only spans 12 episodes. Sadly…

    SerRompalot
    Reply

    1. If the Views are good, perhaps they can Build in in the Last Episodes the Other Fleets on the World. But i dunno, if they abandoned their territory, just to Help out in Japan Fog Fleet.

      Germanguy
      Reply

  31. Well, will we see the Battle that Happen Off-screen (Where 401 got the Big Cannon), in a Flashback? She appears in the ED, but nothing so far had Screen-time with her, except her Name. But from the count of Missiles, they used many Missiles

    Hyuga. This Fight was not Animated so far. it just happed Off-screen

    https://randomc.net/image/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2004.jpg

    (1 name Left)

    Germanguy
    Reply

    1. Perhaps the Fog Fleet, is a running Wild Human Created AI Program. But there is this strange “Alien” Technology, with this Torpedo’s and AI Cores…

      Perhaps an Outbreak of an Secret research Lab. But where they got the Human (Female) Mental Cores? Females Lab Workers examples? (Picture of Family Child’s of the Workers)

      This is just an Add On Idea, if the Anime get a “Bonus round”

      Germanguy
      Reply

      1. And the Mysterious Place when they Appeared.. Easy, Underwater Secret Lab… They all can Dive, even the Ships… Perhaps the Ships are copies or analyzed Wrecks in the Deep of the Ocean (its a best Logical idea)

        Germanguy
        Reply

  33. And the award for the hottest anime body of the year goes to…

    This episode was cute as hell though, I think it’s safe to say that Haruna wins some major points with those outfits and the fact she cares for Makie-chan!

    Jason Isenberg
    Reply

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