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「その身を捧ぐ」 (Sono Mi o Sasagu)
“Devotion of Self”
As its final episodes approach, Ars Nova continues distancing itself from the rest of the pack. What started out as a mere “epic naval combat series” has since developed into more than I ever expected, and this episode was a shining example of how one can develop a great series. Shocking twists give way to emotional developments, layers of philosophical complexity unveil themselves through the story’s solid execution, and dynamic characters give you fond memories from which to remember them by. There just ain’t anything like a show that does the human element right, and Ars Nova literally hits this nail on the head by giving us a tale of what it means to be human. It’s a tale about a species defined by its unrivaled capacity for innovation and an equal capacity for failure—powered by illogical choices that make us unlike any other.
With Iona and Takao both sacrificing themselves for Gunzou at some point in the episode, it’s this illogical nature that ends up being on display this week, and it ends up being a touching conclusion to what’s been an amazing transformation on their part. There are few greater shows of what it means to human than the act of self-sacrifice—a notion that is as cruel as it is beautiful. Because ultimately, there are few things more agonizing than finally realizing something about yourself (and your feelings toward someone else) and then having to say goodbye to that same person shortly afterwards. There isn’t even a chance for Gunzou to acknowledge Takao’s sacrifice at the end, and it’s a development that makes it all the more painful considering the kind of character she was.
That said, the initial build up to Iona’s own sacrifice arguably set things up to be as dramatic as they were, and it’s hard to put into words how great things were developed here this week. Seeing Iona watch the Gunzou’s life slip away… seeing her struggle between obeying and disobeying Gunzou… this is how emotional development should be done, and it bought a tear to my eye to see the agony she faced as she fought against herself and the principles she had previously thought to be absolute. But, it goes to show that change can happen whether or not you realize it yourself, and it’s a change that has manifested in all the members of the Blue Steel fleet and the Fog themselves.
Even Kongou ends up unable to escape the change her fateful encounter caused, and it’s just one twist after another as it’s revealed that Maya’s mental model was nothing but a surveillance AI sent to monitor her and her effectiveness as a member of the Fog. But again, it just proves how even the Fog have changed—at least, their tactics have—as the removal of Kongou as the flagship and the act of watching her in the first place are arguably things that they never would have even thought of implementing previously. It’s a domino effect that set off the moment Iona and Gunzou met so long ago, and it’s just fitting that the culmination of the Blue Steel fleet’s transformation comes with the two ending up alone again at the end of the episode—just like they were in the very beginning.
Ultimately, there are just few words to describe this episode, or the series in general. I love how the series continues to exceed expectations on a daily basis, and I love how they’ve carried through the Fog’s transformation into actual humans. The addition of that great vocal insert at the end just adds icing to the cake, and there’s just so much else I haven’t even touched upon with this episode. One could just go on and on about the true value of comrades, the notion of not wanting to be left alone (or behind), and the irony of having a fleet of Fog looking to help you instead of destroy you, and it’s just sad that a fair amount of people gave up on this series a while back. Looking forward, the penultimate episode is upon us, and I’m going to be sad to see this series go. For now though, let us leave with a moment of silence for the almighty Takao—even though it’s entirely possible that “Gunzou, my captain” may yet find a way to get her back…
End Card
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Takaooooooooo
and damn that Maya, I knew she was fishy.
Takao must be revived before this series ends…
My theory is that Takao’s soul gem is hanging on a nano-gold chain around Gunzou’s neck.
I like what I’m seeing here.
predicted reaction from the Tsundere Heavy crusier fans:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
…first image link failed…
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! …Though I must admit, the new I-401 MK2 (or Deep Submersible Heavy Cruiser?) looks pretty cool, but still TAKAO?! NO! WHY GOD, WHY?!
Maybe I’m just super biased toward her, but Takao wins this episode, hands down.
Don’t get me wrong, the episode was great overall. The scenes with Iona and a dying Gunzou were very touching, and well done. Just like when I saw Iona’s core lying next to Gunzou inside the escape pod, it made me tear up. But Takao’s subsequent reaction, and the scene that immediately followed, were what especially moved me. The scene where Takao slowly descends in the water and presses her body against Gunzou’s escape pod, it was as if she was embracing an unrequited love for the last time. I teared up even more – much more. And don’t get me started on the music. So. Much. Feels.
The ending never really specifies whether Takao is now a mental model without a ship like the others, or if she’s permanently a core without body and ship, but it certainly gave the impression of the latter. There also exists the extreme possibility that not only is she without body and core, but Takao herself also merged with Iona and I-401, and now she will live on as part of Iona.
Whatever the case, there may not have been room for you inside Gunzou’s heart, but you will forever remain in the hearts of others, mine included.
Takao! *salutes*(╥﹏╥)ゞ
…*breaks down* TAKAO?! NO!! WHY GOD, WHY?!!ヽ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾉﾟ
And add that really sad background music plus that little scene with Hyuuga asking Takao if it’s alright with her…Awww! It was a really touching scene! I started with a little impression on Takao but as the series goes, I came to like her more and more. T_T
Can’t we have another ‘Youtarou’???? I have tons of stuff dolls here!
From what we’ve seen with Kirishima, as long as the core itself is intact, then that unit is still alive. All that’s required to bring back the mental model body are the nanomachines to create it, but since they currently have no store of nanomachines on them (what they had was left on Iwoto), there’s nothing to use to give Takao a new body at present. After all, IIRC, the reason Kirishima was put in the bear was due to there being such a small amount of nanomachines for Haruna to use that that was as much as she could muster at the time.
Takao! NOOO!!! But , if her core is still funtional it must be possible to bring her back as second mental model for the newly created ship. Next target sink the twins all the way to hell!!!.
Dammit… why…. WHY????????
I actually shed tears…. when Gunzou’s vital signs faded and Iona started calling out for him…. and then they just had to show Takao sacrificing herself to revive Iona and save Gunzou…. dammit…. I never expected this show to give me such an emotional heartbreak…. I had a bad foreshadowing when the title for this episode came up…. but I just can’t accept it 🙁
OMG ZEPHYR!! THEY MERGED! THEY MERGED TOGETHER!
Will there be a Tsundere Heavy submarine now!?
I’m lazy to compare, but did Iona actually look different?
(in spite of downvotes) No, the “maiden” plug-in is only installed into the core, not the nano-materials.
…now, where is Takao’s core? There’s nothing to say that it’s still around atm.
Perhaps Takao merged with Iona’s Core. So Takao is now a Sub-processor of Iona’s Core. In other Words, Iona surpassed Kongo now, in both Speed and CPU Power. Or perhaps the others convert some of the Ship Buildings Nanomaterials to grown her a own Body, like the Teddy bear
So Gunzou’s long, hard shaft is finally inside Takao…
Or so I wanted to make that joke, until I realized that Takao sacrificed herself in the process of saving “her Captain” and Iona. 🙁
This episode had so many feels ;_;
Even when I’m sad Takao is gone, I find it really cool that she was able to merge with Iona. I know its probably a stretch but I hope she returns some day.
I definitely wasn’t expecting that twist with Maya lol it caught me off guard but now I feel bad for Kongou. She needs some Gunzou in her life.
Will Takao and Iona’s merging mean their capabilities also merged? Or is it just a nanomaterial sacrifice thing?
Nonetheless, that was one great episode! I never thought that a naval combat series can actually put me into tears. 🙂
i think is more along the lines of what Hyuga did before..she transferred her nanomaterial to fix Iona’s “body” … that doesnt means Iona wont have some new tricks.. last time (Hyuga’s case) she gained the Super Gravity Cannon (normal subs dont have those)
The other I400s were talking of a merge… but as i see it is not much of a merge but more of a transference.
PS: and no she ISN’T DEAD >.< .. just likely gone from the story till she gets nano-material (or incorporeal if she can remain conscious in that state … remember that Kirishima is also w/o a body… the bear she uses now is made of nano-materials.. so if they dont get some nano-materials we wont even get "plushie-Takao" )
Does anyone know the song that played during this episode, Takao passed on?
It’s Nano’s Silver Sky
noo Takao x.x
really sad episode.
mmm .. well when she started crying and that music.. well .. is just so really sad. I really hope Gunzuo becomes aware of her feeling for him.
Is not as she is gone.. her core should still be around.. is likely that she will have to go bodiless untill they can get nanomaterial (which would be hard) … also i noticed Iona was “unconsious” while in her core.. does that mean only those ships with high processing power can stay conscious while in their cores (only seen battleships and fast battleships do this so far) .. hope this is not the case.
PS2: Iona’s Mental Model looks the same.. her “body” changed tho… is not so clear cus shes against the sun …but there was some change.. the silhouette looked more “ship”-like (or perhaps is just my mistake, i-400s look ship like anyways xD )
PS2: if anyone wanna listen to the full song/read the lyrics .. is really sad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVQQrIclajk
@stsanosuke ナノ(Nano)- silver sky. It can be found on their “savior of song” album/mini release.
The biggest shocker here would be Kongou’s ‘epiphany’ in the end. The uncovering that her loyal subordinate Maya was nothing more than a CCTV Puppet for the two shadowy-intelligence/Gestapo-like in function and form I-400 and I-402. Maya being a broken doll by the end hammered in that point, and Kongou’s realization of her own deviation from the code making her actions in the previous episodes all that more ironic. Or rather, bittersweet. In pursuit of eradicating a threat to her own existence as a weapon to abide by the Admiralty Code, she herself became such a threat. Locked away and stripped of her command, she can only watch in helplessness as Maya dances about in her broken state, surrounded by the physical agents of the Code she revered.
That cold abandonment by the very cause you swore every pixel of your being into upholding.
As for this episode, there is truly no such thing more frightening in the series than the uncaring, emotionless dolls that is I-400 and I-402. Not even as they sink their sister did they flinch in their cold, clinical ways. In contrast to the obsessive Kongou, they are something you would not want to be in the same seas with. The most literal sense of a tool. Something that does what it is told. No emotion. Nothing. And simply a great set of villains. There is no way to reason with it. Kongou is a great villain due to us, the audience, able to see her slide to madness. But for me, the twins are great because they are the unmovable object in a world where nothing is right anymore.
As for Iona, her change is much more subtle. No doubt due to being part of the I-400 class subs. She has been with Gunzou for a few years now, and her actions as Gunzou started to die on the bottom of the sea floor reminded me much like a dog trying to get her dying master to respond. In contrast to her doll-like sisters, this doll had obtained a soul. Seeing her look up ways to combat hypothermia was touching, and even more so her realization in the end that she was going to be alone, and her happiness when Gunzou was still alive. It isn’t a flash of lightning moment, but it was gradual, hinted through the series, and she only came to this after someone who (I felt) she was so used to and taking advantage of (in some weird way) is close to being lost forever. It opened something within her. No doubt my own personal situation, a loved one of mine not being in such a good state, added to the emotional impact.
Takao’s realization too, as well as Hyuugas, that they are merely second string to the bond Iona and Gunzou shared was seemingly fitting. Takao’s action of self-sacrifice to me, felt so much more better than her current fate in the manga. Again, touching the theme that together through Gunzou, they not only have humans to help them gain a leg up over their opponents, but also compared to Kongou’s miserable loneliness (for she is truly an island in the middle of a vast, unforgiving ocean), well it touched the feels in me. And no doubt for many others as well.
I applaud in the writers going this route, and I can honestly say, without any reservation, that I enjoy this show. The manga is great, yes, and I’ve long since broken my vow on not comparing it, but this episode, and it’s feels trip, made me realize that for their constraints, this was honestly what will make me want to rewatch the series and pray for a second season with a hopefully greater cast.
Ah right…uh…don’t shoot me for this. But this song was playing in my mind as I wrote my own post:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCTJeT2i9QU
yah.. poor Konguo. she was also about to say “You are my (friend)” to Maya…
Also about the other I400s .. well they ARE AIs … and Iona has come a LONG way from that … considering that she disobeyed a direct order from him in order to buy him some more time.
Those AIs with Gunzou are slowly going from AI to alive some have advanced some more (Iona, Takao) than others (Kirishima) but they are moving along: now with Maya gone the next one is Konguo… shes been holding on the edge…
Im soooo sad is gonna end x.x
Adding On:
Talking to some about the I-400 class and their roles as ‘surveillance’ subs.
Particlarly, the fact Iona was remodelled into a combat submarine and the sudden use of force by her sister ships.
In my eyes, there is a simple reasoning for that.
Asymetrical warfare. Going back to when they confronted Takao in Japan, had they fought, they would be no match for a cruiser’s heavy artillery. So no doubt they’d utilize something else to make up for it. They’re also a force that seems to mix a little bit of a police state’s secret police forces, with a direct action group. So yeah.
Bad loli-sub duo. Bad. Messing with Kongou like that, you need a spanking.
You hit the nail on that one. I fear this revelation will make Kongou go batsh*t crazy, simply because I feel she’s not able to handle emotions as well as the other MM’s – especially now that she truly is alone. The ending certainly won’t help her maintain her sanity. Having Maya circle you, repeating the phrase CARNIVAL~DAYO! in an endless loop, would make anyone go insane. :3
As long as Takao did what she thought was right, no matter the kind of doubts, Gunzou will always be her captain and will be grateful for what she’s done.
I want a second season already. This show is amazing. I’m liking it more than the manga now. (Never cared for most of the political stuff in there anyway. I just wanted to see the mental models acting exactly like they do in here, especially Iona. She is just too cute. If she had used that recommended method to warm Gunzou up, I would’ve died from a moe overdose right there.)
Show Spoiler ▼
On your spoiler:
God that battle was painful to read. But I do enjoy the politicking. It might just be me considering I majored in the bloody subject. XD;;
@vanfokerdumplestein
I think in the manga Iona is already established to be rather humanised already, thanks to her interaction with the crew members. It does feel a bit strange when all other fog fleets are still ‘evolving’, but Takao did remark that Iona is the oldest (barring Yamato) mental model among all the fog fleets (she appeared 10years before she even met Gunzou, after Shouzou’s ‘death’ during the attack on Musashi & Yamato), so she would have already ‘evolved’ to become more human-like.
On the up side Iona is shown to be more badass in the manga compared to the anime, she’s capable of ‘replacing’ Gunzou as temporary captain of the I-401, dare to take on Nachi and Ashigara.
But I think both manga and anime are equally good, its just which Iona you prefer, the ‘badass’ version or the ‘humanising’ version. And whether u want to see politics or emotional scenes more. (I do think that the manga-Kongou might just end up like anime-Kongou, becoming obsessed with taking out Gunzou)
I am hoping this gets the Full Metal Alchemist treatment in being looked at again, although the first series wasn’t bad and does surpass the material as others have said.
I think there would be enough nano material to maintain a body, although for dramatics sake, there may not be. If anything what happened should create more Takao fans, although I always <3ed her.
Guess I’ll comment on this episode after all. >_> Completely agree with this getting an FMA style reboot that actually follows the original story. Glad to see that I wasn’t the only own who questioned the fact that there “wasn’t enough namomaterials” to allow Takao to keep her MM.
A Takao class cruiser has about 47.5% greater displacement (9,850 (standard)/15,490 tons (full load)) than an I-400 submarine (6,670 tons). BTW, an Asashio-class destroyer, such as the Arashio, has a displacement of 2,408 tons.
While there may be some variation between FOF ships and their actual WWII counterparts, there isn’t THAT much deviation. In short, PLENTY of nanomaterials not only fully restore I-401 (even ignoring the namomterials Iona still had control over), but ALSO allow Takao keep her MM AND even make herself a nice FoF Asahio Class destroyer AND still have 772 TONS (9850 – 6670 – 2408 = 772) worth of nanomaterials left over. Simple math, yet for me makes Takao’s “disappearance” nothing short of a poorly disguised forced plot.
After getting over the initial impact this episode had on me emotionally, I re-watched this episode a couple times, and actually questioned this too. Why would it require all of the nanomaterials from Takao to restore Iona and I-401? Why can’t she save some for another ship of her own, or even just her mental model? It doesn’t seem very logical.
The way I see it, I don’t believe the writers saw Takao as using logic when she decided to merge with the I-401, but was using her emotions instead. In the end, she want’s to be Gunzou’s one an only ship. But after seeing what Iona sacrificed for Gunzou inside the pod, she comes to the conclusion that it is simply not to be. Even if she were to save Gunzou and restore Iona and the I-401 back to normal, it wouldn’t change their relationship, or the fact that Iona will always be Gunzou’s ship. Instead, Takao decides to support their relationship, by sacrificing her ship’s body, and because in the foreseeable future nanomaterials are likely to be hard to come by, she’s essentially relinquishing her own dream. Ironically by merging, Takao actually does became what she wanted, if only as part of the I-401. I suppose she could’ve saved some nanomaterial for herself, and create a smaller ship like you described, but in the end she still wouldn’t be Gunzou’s one and only.
In addition, it’s my understanding that once a union core is set to be a certain type of ship, you can’t change it. i.e. Iona will always be a submarine at heart, Takao will always be a heavy cruiser at heart, Hyuuga will always be a battleship …etc. Unless it’s different in the manga, that is. Is it possible for Takao, or any fog vessel, to become another class/type of ship? Is it simply restricted by the amount of nanomaterials they have at their disposal? I haven’t read it yet so I’m not sure. It’s true that I-401 may look like it’s on steroids now, but I believe she’s still a submarine. As for what happened to the excess nanomaterial, who knows? They may explain it better in the next episode. Maybe it was Takao’s intention to save nanomaterial, so that in case the Super I-401 II Turbo gets damaged, Iona could repair herself easily. Point is, I believe Takao doesn’t create a new ship for herself, because she wants to be Gunzou’s heavy cruiser, not his destroyer or any other type of ship. Existing as a heavy cruiser is Takao’s true nature, so to speak, and after restoring the I-401, she had lost the capacity to do just that.
Regarding Takao’s disappearance, in my previous post with my pleas to God (:P), it was also my understanding in the end that Takao was to be perma-cored. Thinking about it some more, I now believe Takao will appear simply as a mental model without a ship, just like the others. When Hyuuga was going on about the loss of body and impossible restoration in the tea room, I think she was referring to the fact that Takao would likely never return to existing as a heavy cruiser, and the reason why the tone was so serious, was because the ships are the mental models’ true bodies – a point I had forgotten. Plus like I said above, by sacrificing her ship’s body, she’s prioritizing the bond between Iona & Gunzou, and putting her own dream on the back-burner. Not to mention that sacrificing all or even part of one’s body to save another was practically unheard of in the fog, prior to these events.
So in short, I think the writers based Takao’s decisions on her emotions, rather than logic, and I now believe she will retain her existence as a mental model. I’ll probably end up being wrong or whatever, but that’s just my two cents.
P.S. Sorry about the ultra long post here. Not sure why I felt I had to post all this. I think I really am overly biased toward Takao, and maybe even this anime in general. 🙂
M-Mizukami Satoshi… XD
with that strong song in the background, I was having vibes of Titanic for a bit.
it took time for Iona to cry. Takao came to tears just by seeing Gunzou. but in the end, even Iona couldn’t hold it anymore.
Ars nova came with an episode like that, even when you do expect something, they did it very good, the whole course of events. rolling from one scene toward another as Gunzou’s life starting to slip away, seeing both Iona and Takao conflicting. and it’s funny how’s that they are both “rivals in love”, yet with what happen, I think they came to respect each other action. they really acknowledge each other know. not by existence, but by emotions, towards themselves and toward the other.
and even when we think it has ended for the best with both Takao and Iona’s sacrifice (in the end mostly Takao, she really got her wish to serve as Gunzou’s ship, I hope). we had Kongo’s case revealing what we already suspected – she was fixated about Iona, even more than the fog’s code. but the thing with Maya really surprised me.
not much left till the end, but our “epic naval piew piew” must have some more interesting stuff for the straight finale.
NO Takao!!!!!!! and i kinda liked 400 and 402 in the manga but in the anime they are dead to me hope Gunzou sinks them before the series ends
NOOOO! Not Maya!
I dont buy Maya as a emotionless string puppet. She showed signs of individualism and unfog like behavior. More likely imo the twin subs hacked her and placed a lock on her mental model. She appears to be more likely remote controlled by external forces. Thus the twins were able to use Maya to distract Kongou to hack into her to place a lock on her systems.
As for Iona and Takao with mention of merging here’s my take on the subject. When Takao made contact with Iona, they discussed and decided they will do all they can to save Gunzou and carry out his dreams/orders. Takao used whatever nano materials left minus some to save others to build a new vessel with specs merged. Thus Iona will be the main unit while Takao takes on sub-unit role. But they both get what they wanted in saving Gunzou and him being their captain aboard their ship. So instead of merged, I would call it a team-up until someday they are able to acquire nano materials to bring back Takao and Kirishima bodies.
Perhaps they cut Maya’s “Episode” to prepare the Final Fight. Episode 11 will surly end with a Cliffhanger too for Episode 12 Last Battle or After battle…
And looks like i would love to see a 2nd Season. Perhaps the other members of the Fog could appear here, to Attack US or prevent US to Raise in Sea Power again
I know its the basic but I still lol-ed at the last description:
https://randomc.net/image/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2016.jpg
She should’ve done that.
Poor Iona, she doesn’t have to capability to simulate metabolic functions T.T
Well, she did some kind of that. The Lifeboat, was build from the Core and her Body Nanoparticles. Perhaps she create Heat. Well, when Takao find the Body, the Round Core was Missing…
I get we will be getting a Loli Takao after this won’t we?
……the feels……Takao……
*cries in a corner*
Damn this episode was so full of feels. I don’t buy Takao being dead/gone though. Especially with both Hyuga and Kirishima fine without a ship body. She’ll probably be around as a second core to the new Heavy Submarine Takao-Iona fusion.
Takao is Alive, but as Core only.
Well, she was the One that emerge from the Sea Ground, She was the one that merged her Parts of the Ship with Iona’s
There must be someone holding this together, until Iona awaken. So Takao is alive
But, i the Future Episodes, she will be the “Ship’s Computer” Voice or AI. I dunno how much control Iona has about the new Design
My Guess is, the Iona’s Body has Takao’s Core inside, too. But she gave Control up to Iona. She switched to a Sub-processor state
In Iona’s Body, are now 2 Cores
Oh, and both of them reached Human alike state. Both of them could Cry with tears
Iona and Takao surpassed Lt. Cmd. Data from the Enterprise 🙂
I was hoping for a happy end for Iona and Gunzou, but I didn’t expect it to be at Takao’s expense 🙁 and the depth of Takao’s love, even knowing it will be unrequited… She really has come a long way from being just a machine. I don’t know where this will finish, but I do hope Ars Nova gets a second season. The creative team really knows how to drown you in feels, and they’ve truly turned the cast into a lovable crew.
I think it s highly likely there might be a 2nd season, that or a reboot (unlikely). The thing is that Kongou is just 1 out of numerous battleships around. So even if Gunzou did managed to sink I-400, I-402, Maya and Kongou, he only managed to take out 1 Fog patrol fleet (for Japan), which doesn’t include numerous other patrol fleets off the coast of Japan, as well as the Pacific ocean, and the West coast of USA. (This doesn’t include the other unknown fog fleets in the rest of the world) So yeah, most probably there will be a 2nd season, though it might be at the expense of the ‘original’ (i.e. manga) But I don’t mind it, with insane battles and self-sacrifice scenes(oh god why Takao)
If there will be a 2nd season, the anime will have to start expanding its world– which shouldn’t be too hard given that, as we can see, I-400 and I-402 aren’t under Kongou…
The way I see it , if you want to watch the growth of the Fog Fleet (personality-wise) then this anime hits the spot, but if u want to watch ‘growth’ of humanity (with a lot of backstabbing) then its the manga. Both are equally awesome in their own right. That and both have equally epic battles. And that ending……I think I’m thoroughly disturbed by anime Maya more so than the manga Maya.
Perhaps I’m over-thinking it, but maybe that’s (part of) the intent…the anime and the manga being two halves of the same (general) story, but simply unable to cram it into a single coherent story without ruining the pace/development, so they created two “paths”, one for the humans and one for the Fog and seeing/reading both of them gives a bigger view or something, lol.
I’m in mourning for the loss of the Best Ship. Although her core is probably unharmed I hope they can restore at least her mental model. I already miss the best ponytail of the year. <3<3 Takao.
That has to be the coolest submarine ever! If only Takao’s sacrifice wasn’t needed.
On a side note, maybe the upcoming Kancolle event (collaboration with Arpeggio) will involve Iokao? (Iona+Takao)
what? when? where? really gonna be Kancolle + Arpegio? oooooooo!
@Inanis
the developers did say that this december would have an upcoming event in collaboration with Arpeggio. Plus the possibility of crafting Yamato *shock* Maybe the event might be Kongou as the last boss and Takao/Maya/I-400&I-402/Kirishima&Haruna as the mini-bosses. I need to start to stock up on depth charges and 46cm guns if that really happens.
@Inanis
The latest update for Kancolle: http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Recent_Updates
Able to use Iona & Takao during the upcoming event. (YEAHHHH!!)
@ Unlucky Star Bad loli-sub duo. Bad. Messing with Kongou like that, you need a spanking.
Thanks for bring back my spirit. I need that laugh. (+1 thumb)
This episode for most(including myself) will be the one that will always surface(no pun) to the top when we think back on this series. Why? Because we finally feel “sorrow”. A deep cold hard feeling that no one, wants to go though. I applaud the director for this move. I hate it but love it at the same time. Its gut wrenching. It fits the story . Now please don’t hate me for saying this but “IF” Takao doesn’t reappear I’m good with that, its more realistic. This is an excellent divergence from its original content. Just like stories with a sad ending, it reminds me of the HALO series ending and the Halo Reach ending. Sad as they were. Excellent closure. Again I applaud the director.
I look forward to how this will end. Will it just end like we think? Will here be a cliffhanger? Will there be a spin off with any of the other fleets? Who knows. One can one hope that the Blue Fleet(all of them) goes elsewhere for more excitement.
On a lighter, note Takao still has the best Torpedo Defense System
https://randomc.net/image/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2010.jpg
Along with bow and stern design
https://randomc.net/image/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2028.jpg
https://randomc.net/image/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova/Aoki%20Hagane%20no%20Arpeggio%20Ars%20Nova%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2032.jpg
The new I-401 is full of awesomeness
well now, i am really surprised at how this series turned out. i really like the character development that Iona and Kongou showed here. and oh, may! Takao, nooooo!!!
one thing that i can’t help but think about is I-400 and I-402’s exchange with Kongou. i don’t know if it was an error or what, but the subs clearly referred to kongou as the flagship of the eastern patrol fleet and not the whole fleet of Fog, which, for me at least, implies that there are other fleets. initially, i was under the impression of kongou being in the same role as yamato has in the manga (that of the fog’s supreme flagship) but that seems to be not the case after all. so what’s up with that?
njah , the roles were always different , there is no mention to Yamato or anyone like that so far in the anime.. even the Admiralty Code is unexplained … facts that feed my hopes for a 2nd season.
If they are going to have a season 2, and Yamato will be shown, get Ayane Taketatsu to voice her! Her voice for Kancolle’s Yamato is epic. Made me go HHHNNNNNNNGGGGGHHH when I heard it (I want Yamato so badly!!!)
Wow! So well done!
Can’t wait for the OST for the insert song.
The insert song is the second track of the OP Single.
Excellent! Thank U
DEM FEELS!! For a moment there I really thought Gunzou had kicked the bucket. The CGI did a great job in Iona and Gunzou moment.
And as a Takao fan I must say “NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU MMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY SSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPPPPP HAD SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK”
The hopeless atmosphere is really well done, and Kongou, poor Kongou. Maya is her only source of self-assurance and her only “friend”, and it turns out Maya is fake all along. That must have broke her, so hard.
Kongou was drive with Anger for Revenge, to kill Iona. Perhaps it is the best solution to let her Cool off. But lock her out of her own Ship… Or did they just lock her Weapons?
I400 and I402 feels like the Gestapo.
Lolistapo
“Ve haf veys of making you komply, for you Kongou ze vor ist over.”
her expression when the “Maya reval” showed up..
This series was the biggest surprise this season
Manly tears were shed
The Solution of all their Problems is a Large Stock of Nanomaterials, so they can rebuild their own Body’s and Ships. So Blue Fleet will have 1 Submarine and 3 Fast Battleships and 1 Battleship
Perhaps they can transfer the Lifeboats, Takao put the Crew on board and the Cargo. Into Nanomaterials for their Body’s at last
Or…
They use to create Medical Treatment Equipments for Gounzu to recover. He is still Hurt. Btw, time for some Nurse Cosplay…
some kind of medical Sick bay on a Battleship
Perhaps they can build in Hawaii as a Restock/Resupply stop, on their course to US Coast, and this can give the Animation team more Time for Post Productions.
Do I400 and I402 have a Superior Command Ship? Perhaps She will appear now. Because I401^2 is on Surface Faster then them
What i mean? Looks like this New Design allow for a hydrofoil craft version
Huyugaa can reproduce Meds Stuff, as long she know how they are build. Huyugaa is a very Good Support “mental Model” for Human, and of course of their Pals. Wonder if she is capable of create these Corrosive Torpedo’s, too
Well, it is the Animation Team choice of course
Can’t find the right words to fill in the comments so I’ll leave this here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq54jb_5WCI&noredirect=1
Basically…. This was how I felt after starting the day with Blue Steel 10 –
http://i.imgur.com/CAQwnl7.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/29ID2PU.jpg
Even HTML links are feeling it
I see your bagpipe “Amazing Grace” and raise you this song:
“We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when…”
Yeah…part Dr. Strangelove reference, partly because it’s an appropriate period song for a WWII-era ship, and partly because I’m hoping that the theory about Takao‘s union core somehow remaining intact turns out to be correct.
(Well, time to wait for the next episode to confirm or joss that theory…)
Takao’s final act of love makes her the heroine of the year, period. There’s no way anything tops that. On the other side, Kongou must feel betrayed right now, and with her mind in the “kill, kill, kill” way of thinking, it’s too dangerous. (Incoming yandere battleship!)
The only clear thing for the final eps is that Iona is going to tear apart the twin-loli subs, not because they tried to destroy her, but for trying to kill Gunzou… if Kongou doesn’t kill them first. Yeah, I’m thinking about an unholy 2-eps Alliance between the new Blue Steel battlecruiser and Kongou.
I can tell they’re really time constrained when they cut out the OP and ED in favour of incorporating more scenes, but they really should have elaborated more on Takao’s feelings.
The transition between the feelings of a light hearted crush to a heavy self-sacrificial state seemed a bit forced.
Really? For me, it hit me where it hurts. I am sad about what happened (and even cried) but I am happy at how they did it. 🙂
well actually it shows a lot more in the anime.. there were whole months between Takao deciding to look for Gunzuo and finally meeting him in Io (we didnt get to see Takao + Gunzuo’s Mother at all in the anime)
C̜̗̜̃̊̄ͤͦ͗͒̒̏A̸̱̪̱̓ͪͪ͂͌̄̍ͣȐ̛̺̙͙͎̦͓̜ͭ͗ͯ̌̒̈́N̤͆ͦͦ́ͫͨ̀I͉͈͓̟̯̗̗͕̔̆̂̽V͖̬̜̩̭̩̜̀ͭ̑̅͡A̵͉͉̘͓͆̑̍͋ͧͧͨ͆L̑͏̳̳̰̤̞̙̘͚̖ ̶̖̯ͯ̑̍̍ͬͯ̐ͪD͔̺̮̞̜́̽ͭ̆̉ͦ̎ͯ̕A̧͕͕̮͓̣̝͍̬ͯ̊̈͑͟͟Y͕̻̰̝̜͔̥ͭ̏̾̂͛ͯO͖̺ͤ͗̂͒͆̒͒̑͗!
been a long time since i last cried over an Ep. standards have fallen so bad this past few years, but you will still find Gems like this one among the rubble.
I rewatched the scene where Takao got out of the her pod and swam toward Gonzou’s escape pod like 10 times and everytime my tears flow out harder than befre !! that 3-4 mins was so perfectly executed, the feeling hit me quite hard ! it reminded of why i watch anime and greatly love it .
I don’t know which scene is sadder, Takao swimming to Gunzou’s pod and sacrificing herself or the King of Conquerors, Iskandar the Great’s final charge to Gilgamesh. Why must the best characters die so soon??
Takao may not be the queen of battle cruisers nor queen of conquerors. But she’s a queen in our hearts which she has effectively conquered.
Rest well Takao for you have served beyond your means and algorithm.
I think broskandar will undoubtedly offer her a place in his Ionioi Hetairoi
all of my feels
TAKAO!!!! QAQ
I think Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova and the manga Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio should be seen as opposites of each other. The anime portrays humanity as flawed but full of hope, and the willingness to move forward and sacrificing for others, while the manga portrays humanity as full of assholes willing to backstab one another and sabotaging each others’ efforts to defeat the Fog Fleet(old man Kita’s attack on Iwo Jima/Zordan attacking Gunzou & Takao). Its best to view both as complementary to each other. Probably read the manga and get despaired and pissed off at humanity’s idiocy and watch this show to once again have faith in humanity.
And that ending was seriously creepy. Carnival dayo!
Takao, a tsundere till the very end
I’m just trying to figure out how they would have a second season like some want. The show started out as a pretty good adaption of the manga. However, around the time of Haruna’s non-rampage it changed course to a ‘heading of original anime.’ With this episode, it is full on a original anime with characters drawn from the manga. So much material has been left out or altered that to make a second season would require a ton of retcons. How would they explain Yamato, Musashi, and the politics in the various Fog fleets and amongst the ships themselves? They could probably do it, but how many fans would return to watch it? Even though I like this show, I probably wouldn’t watch a second season.
And it looks like Takao is gone forever. Look at Iona’s new hull and you can spot exhaust stacks, AA-guns, and secondary armaments from Takao’s cruiser form.
As you point out, this is a different story from the manga at this point, but because they haven’t shown or mentioned any other ships or fleets they would have no problem bringing them in. I-400 and I-402 are representatives of the Fog hierarchy so there could well be a Yamato or other capital ships out there directing them. Even Bismarck and U-2501 could possibly show up. Maybe even something that isn’t in the manga at all. Hell, they could even resurrect Hakugei III. The only thing left from the original story besides the characters seems to be the storyline to get the warhead to America. Anything goes at this point.
So basically we have a fanfiction anime going on, lol. The writer’s/director/somebody liked the source material enough to make the anime, but they really wanted to put their own spin on it. And a second season would allow them to expand ‘their’ story.
I’m not looking for 100% copy-paste adaption, and I do like the show, but not enough to watch a second season.
@rh75
LOL, yes, exactly! And Gonzou is the “Gary Sue” character. As Molot pointed out the anime is somewhat of a mirror image of the from a philosophical POV. Iona and Gonzou are the only important characters all of the plot points related to the others are shoved in the background or rewritten to have I and G be the main players, such as Iona saving Haruna and Makie.
Dont like it? then dont watch it.
personally i like the setting and im open minded enough to be able to handle 2 (or 350) different plots starting from the same story (then again i DO have a fanfiction.net account… with over 350+ favs in just about 10 fandoms).
About a second season: there are several ways they could do it, some of the points are hinted to are:
-Ionna’s mutation
-Fog reason (why have Mental Model)
-Fog Hierarchy
-other fleets till they get to US
-implementation (and use) of the vibration warhead
just to name 5… w/o counting any from the manga… as reveals of manga characters.
Show Spoiler ▼
@Inanis
Don’t like my comments? Don’t read them. I basically said the same thing you did. At this point they could bring in anything from the manga they want to, or go in an entirely different direction. Whether I like one version or not it is what it is. Nothing wrong with fan fic, but wouldn’t you expect a professional take on the story to be of a higher order than a fan fic?
was actually replying for rh75 … just commenting on a second season cus imho there are some points that are implied on the anime and i dont think we gonna get an explanation for them in the last episodes.
About “professional” > fanfiction … is mostly personal likes or dislikes. no?
Inanis: “Dont like it? then dont watch it.”
In other words “stop disliking/criticizing things I like”. At the risk of repeating what I posted two episodes ago, I fail to understand why that line of thought is any better or more acceptable than “stop liking things I do not like”. My understanding was that RC post episode commentary was an open venue for viewers to politely discuss their impressions and opinions, whether positive or negative, about that episode. Evidently, I am mistaken.
Your comment strongly implies that one should never post any criticism of any show. After all, they can just “not watch” – right? Should I also assume you have never posted criticism about any show yourself. After all, you could just “not watch”, and such actions would be nothing short of hypocritical given your comment above.
“personally i like the setting and im open minded enough to be able to handle 2 (or 350) different plots starting from the same story (then again i DO have a fanfiction.net account… with over 350+ favs in just about 10 fandoms).
And yet you are not “open minded enough to be able to handle” opinions which do not agree with your own. Instead, you tell said posters to simply go away (i.e “Dont like it? then dont watch it.”) rather than debate the merits of such comments. Furthermore, to suggest that the reason some find fault with the anime is because they are not able “to handle 2 (or 350) different plots starting from the same story…” is critically flawed because it is based upon the assumption that there could not be any other reason for someone to find fault with the show.
Really? No possible other reason such as, at least in their opinion, the anime’s version isn’t very good (whether in comparison to the original story or on its own)? TBH, as written your comment strongly suggests that that all criticism = being close-minded. While criticism may indeed stem from close mindedness on occassion, that is not true for every critique. Although you have “350+ Favs” fanfics, does that mean you liked every single fanfic you have every read? If not, then is it because you are not sufficiently “open-minded”?
It is a fact that some stories – whether original or based upon a preexisting one, are better than others. The issue here is a question of quality, not quantity (i.e.more than one version of the story existing). Correction – two separate issues. One issue is whether a person prefers the original story, the anime’s rewrite, or perhaps even enjoys them equally. The second issue concerns one’s opinion as to the quality of the anime’s rewritten story on it’s own (i.e. as if the original story never existed).
Obviously, opinions for both questions vary substantially. However, excluding obvious “troll” comments, I see no reason why sufficiently polite and substantiated critical comments are any less valid, less meaningful, or less acceptable to post than positive ones. JMO, but allowing for both types of comment is truly “open-minded.” If nothing else, you could always follow Bear’s advice which strongly correlates to your own: “Don’t like it, then don’t read it.”
it been 10 episodes already… and yet the same complains from the same people about the same issues. If they really dislike the show so much then why they keep coming back? lol
Besides… this blog is about the anime.. i even dunno why people keep going back to “the manga this” or “the manga that”: This isnt even the place for that.
@Inanis
So it’s ok to bring up the manga and compare it to the anime if you like both, such as you did here,but not if you don’t?
dont take that REPLY out of context?
@Inanis: So your position truly is “go away” if you don’t like what I like”. How is that “open-minded”? More like the opposite. My post has to do with the lack of tolerance for different opinions. You state that “and yet the same complains from the same people about the same issues. So what? How is that any different from people posting any repetitive comment? A number of people have posted the same comment over multiple episodes, and yet you only object to statements which conflict with your viewpoint. In other words, “Don’t criticize what I like.”
– Besides… this blog is about the anime.. i even dunno why people keep going back to “the manga this” or “the manga that”: This isnt even the place for that.
You don’t understand why people are comparing two version of the same story – the original vs. an alternate? Wow… are you serious? How can the original story be irrelevant to discussion of its adaptation? Comparing an adaptation to the source material is almost standard for any review regardless of the type of media. An adaptation wouldn’t even exist if not for the source material. What IS irrelevant is the difference in type of media. Under your “logic” it makes more sense to compare/discuss the movie Forest Gump with the LOTR movies than the LOTR movies with the novels upon which the movies are based.
– If they really dislike the show so much then why they keep coming back?
Maybe they think the show is OK, but dislike certain elements. They like it to some extent, but think it could easily be much better. I don’t know why people assume that anyone who posts a critical comment “hates the show” or thinks it has “no redeeming value”. This is not true by any means. Maybe they liked the show well enough early on, but less so as the season progressed. That was certainly the case for many with Gen’ei wo Kakeru Taiyou. Maybe they hope to engage in thoughtful discussion over the merits and/or flaws (I assume even you would agree that the anime is not perfect) of the show/latest episode/etc.
Maybe they simply the wish to express their opinion just like you or anyone else who posts here. Why is your opinion any more valid or acceptable than anyone else’s? You advocate restricting which opinions are acceptable to post – only positive comments allowed. I disagree with that as a matter of principle.
Ars Bullshit, I knew they were going anime original, but they went too damn far bringing urobutcher level killings and trolling into this.
You don’t kill off one of the best tsundere characters, if not the best, in any form of media history. I will not accept this T-T!
I feel more trolled than Kongo right now.
erm you havent even read the manga, have you? (as least as far as it has been translated so far)
her situation is not much different in the anime:
in both:
-heroic sacrifice to save Gunzuo
-losses her body(ship)
-losses her Mental Model’s Body (lost of nanomaterials)
-doesnt die
Show Spoiler ▼
ofcuourse the events that lead to her sacrifice and the way she losses her body are different … but the core(reason) of it is the same: she choose him over herself. I even think that in the anime version it is sadder (or deeper): she actually comes to an epiphany in the anime and realizes her love is likely unrequited (Iona will always be there)… she sacrifices herself anyways… i like to think she does because to her it dosnt matter: she throw logic out and follows her feelings (can she even be considered an AI anymore?)
the anime and the mange differ a lot (you could consider the anime an spin-off or a fanfiction … no necessarily better or worse, just different} : BUT it doesnt differ in Takao’s Sacrifice, not that much anyways: Takao is dere for Gunzuo , seems this means she will sacrifice for him … is on character for her.
The anime is not (exactly) an “adaptation” of the manga. The manga focuses more on the “improvement” of humanity, anime focuses more on the “weapon/AI/fog” “evolving” or you could say their “humanization” (or they becoming ALIVE rather than SIMULATING LIFE)
The manga and the anime are just 2 different roads leaving the city! one will get you to the mountains , the other to the forest! they started on the same place but they lead to different destinations … i personally like both.
I’ve been reading the manga since day one and Takao didn’t die.
then your “You don’t kill off one of the best tsundere characters,” in the previous post was a typo?
In the manga, I knew Takao wouldn’t get Permadeath. It was kinda obvious.
In the anime, with the whole “Maya not being a real battleship even though she had one of her own and being a tool of 400 and 402’s” trolling of Kongo and the way Iona went down whose to say the anime wouldn’t keep doing anime original stuff and just permadeath Takao?
Maya has a Mental Model of her own. But these I400 and I402 forced Shutdown the exterior Commands, to control her Body. So, in other Words, Maya is locked inside her own Core, only Capable of control the Ship. But lost some control of her mental Model. Because even her the “Gestapo” Submarine Sisters, put a Lock in her
looks like there is a Master Override Code on all Core’s of the Fog..
Well, it would be my guess
But, i see this more this. They cut short Maya’s Episode, for the Final
Takao was the hero of this episode and man the feels that came out of it was so much that I almost teared up knowing that she was going to sacrifice her Mental Model’s body to create a new ship so that Gunzuo could live on. The new style of 401 looks awesome and it shows. Takao is part of Iona as a ship now and together. I’m still at awe how good this episode was and the show as a whole. Anime of the year contender if I say so myself 🙂
bad.
hey guys, remember this, if a A.I. have a backup or exis a way of recovery, anybody can put back the A.I.
The “dead” of Takao are only a cheap sentimentalismt, not a realy tragedy
and, i ask why they don’t have Kirishima with they.
a lot of plot holes.
no one said she was dead? even in the anime itself they didnt said she was dead.. dunno why people comes to this notion.
and they DO have Kirishima around… is the bear…
they actually got 3 “ships” (Hyuga, Haruna and Kirishima) living w/o problems as “cores” … the only issue is that they had left over nanomaterial to create “bodies” (in kirishima’s case they only had enough for a small teddy bear) for their cores (in that case those are not real bodies.. but more like puppets… their bodies were lost (the ships)
for all we know Takao did save some nanomaterial for a (puppet) body … ALL that Hyuga said is that she “would loser (her) own body” and that it would be “impossible to restore her”: their BODY is the SHIP… im pretty sure we gonna see Takao on her mental Model’s “puppet body” the next episode… she did lose her bosy (the ship) since she decided to giver up her “body” to restore Iona’s … since Gunzuo already choose her (Ionna) as flagship.
If one were to look at it logically then Takao likely did save nanomaterial for a puppet body… otherwise she wouldn’t be able to interact with Gunzou … and i dont think she would do that (unless there are other circumstances out of her control)
I hope they recovered at least the “core” of Takao… so eventually if they get a supply of nanomaterials they can restore at least her mental model, if not the whole ship itself.
But, to put things in better perspective now Takao literally has become Gunzou’s ship.
Love “Blue steel” logo on new 401
hope to see takao again whether on screen of submarine or chibi-takao
Great episode. I’ll be watching to see what happens to Takao and Kongou. It really surpassed my expectations.
Also, this might be a small thing, but I like how Gunzou was suffocating because there was too much carbon dioxide in the air, not too little oxygen. Well done not dropping the ball on that production team!
I find one thing a bit strange: even though Iona and Gunzou are apparently acting as some sort of catalyst for causing emotional development in the mental models, said development is far stronger in the other mental models than in Iona. It took Gunzou slowly dying for her to recognize her feelings for him, when all the other models only needed less than 2 episodes after their initial confrontation with her and Gunzou to develop almost fully. As a result of this, I’m actually rooting for Takao instead of Iona.
The harder it takes for someone to fall, they often fall harder in love.
I love the kuudere types.
thank you sir for reminding me of my fave swimming team member…
Don’t recognize her: who is she, and from what anime?
Nanasaki Ai, from Amagami SS
That is because Iona is a loli-submarine. Submarines have less processor power then the bigger battleships, so changes in emotional state are a lot slower. (They have less processor power to give to emotional simulations).
To give you a comparison of processor power.
[Iona] can create/control one submarine + a dozen tiny loli characters of herself which are simple in construction. She can only add one complex system to her hull (like the gravity cannon). If she adds anything else, the information of the gravity cannon is discarded and lost to her. She simply doesn’t have any space left in her core/memory.
[Takao] can create and control her own battleship, create an additional submarine like A401 and control it, create multiple human copies (including blood, bone, etc) of a crew and control them to act natural. These copies of humans are so detailed, people cant tell the difference unless they do an DNA-test. Assuming she did all this at the same time, only then does she actual hit her limits when fighting a full-out battle. (which happens in the manga).
Flagships can do even more.
♫We all live in a loli-submarine!♪
Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
Is that in the manga somewhere? According to the anime opening, the 400 sisters have “DualCore G-I x1” mental models, while the other ships have “SingleCore G-I x1” mental models.
Quick Summary for Episode 11 from me:
In Short?
Wow, what a Cliffhanger, and we got to see Action!!. Nice!!
More when the Episode is Live here