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「屍せる者たちの凱歌」 (Shikabane Seru Mono Tachino Gaika)
“The Victory Song of the Dead”
Looking back, I had previously mentioned that Total Eclipse was definitely going to end with a bang. And if there’s one thing this episode highlights, it’s how true that statement is, because they’re really bringing out all the stops as we enter the series’ finale. I mean… the sheer amount of TSF combat this week was a feast for the eyes, the power plays from each of the respective factions fabulous, and the imminent activation of the Red Shift provided quite the adrenaline rush to boot! In the end, anime’s meant to be watched for enjoyment, and enjoyment was on the menu this week…
…though not for the members of the RLF and Mariem, who find out they’ve been pretty much used and thrown away to rot by the members of the Christian Allegiance. The reactions end up not being too pretty as a result and it looks all but confirmed at this point that the RLF will take the brunt of the retaliation for their take over of the base. In the end, we’re still not quite sure the Christian Allegiance themselves are being used too as some kind of bigger plan (that language slip in the middle of the episode hints at something more), but we do find out that at the very least, the Major and his compatriots seem to be one of those radical groups that believe the BETA are representative of God’s judgment.
Regardless, things don’t look too great despite Yui and Co.’s valiant efforts to stop both the terrorists and the BETA, and it seems like the Scarlet Twins are the only ones capable of preventing the Red Shift at this point. Notably, the Scarlet Twins also bring us to our next topic, which involves the noticeable character development from both of them (though, especially Cryska), as both seem to be gaining their own sense of self as they both declare their desire to protect the world Yuuya lives in. It’s been developing in the background for a while now, and it’s just nice to see the culmination after all this time—along with the continued development of Yui and Yuuya as well, who find themselves empowered by their past experiences and willing to trust each other with their lives. Looking back, they’ve sure gone far from the “You lack talent!” days haven’t they? Heh. Too bad Yuuya still seems more interested in his TSF than women though…
In any case, there were some nice touches to a few of the scenes this episode too. Granted, they may have been anime original material (not quite sure on this respect, but it feels that way), but it was still pretty fun seeing the Berkut line up with all the Falcons Fulcrums and Sharon, Yuuya, and Leon posing up on the hill for a moment there. Also, it was quite nice how they ended up reusing some of the old first episode material in the flashbacks for Yui too, as it served as a reminder of how hard she’s come… as well as how much she still has to learn.
Ultimately though, Major Christopher seems to have his own plans for the Scarlet Twins in the end, setting up for what may be quite the finale. I feel like going on a whole series retrospective at the moment, but yeah… I reckon I’ll save that for next week. Heh.
Preview
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AMERICA’S FINEST ELEMENTS
source:Show Spoiler ▼
Though there not the best of all…
Dat Takemikazuchi.
Oh hi TE budget, I was wondering where it went, turns out they were saving it for the finale. FINALLY, I got to see the Raptor in combat. There’s also plenty of details on the other TSF combat capabilities, the Terminator in Gun a Sweeper configuration, the Fulcrum’s chainsaw legs, and the Takemi’s use of “Blade Armor” by shredding an enemy with its fingers. Its a good day to be a mecha fan.
Also making its triumphant return is Muv-Luv greatest villian, Murphy’s Law. The RLF really thought they could contain the BETA? Nope, they run amok and potentially screw the entire world. Mariem gains a conscience and is ready to surrender? Nope her subordinates execute her. Sandek ready to unleash the full potential of the Scarlet Twins on the BETA? Nope, evil Berkut dude has an ESP doo-hickey that screws them up.
The Allegiance isn’t really complicated. They’re a bunch of religious fanatics who believe that the BETA are messengers of God and are trying to bring about the end of the world. They are alluded a lot in MLU:The Day After and…lets just say they are very creepy and screwed up going as far to mutilate corpses and leave them hanging for the BETA to “eat”.
I don’t think there was any Christian Alliance at Yukon. The Major’s group are probably just using that name as a cover for their real affiliation (the Major mocking his final communication to Mariem). The whole terrorism act seems like a setup for the Scarlet Twins explicitly, forcing them into a situation where they would have to disable their “limiter” so the Major can use that device behind him. The group probably being Russian (weird feelings of MW2’s No Russian mission) and the Americans using the chaos to their own advantage is a whole lot intrigue to ever wrap up in one more episode. It is too complicated for a bunch of religious zealots to pull off.
Zephyr, I think Argos Flight was fighting 2 MiG-29OVT Fulcrums and a lot of AI-controlled MiG-29 Lastochkas and not the F-16 Falcons from last episode. The large blade motors on the legs and the red star on the shoulders are a big giveaway. To fragb85, I doubt they were all Fulcrums because the MiG-29OVT is a test unit in collaboration with the US so it would have about the same rarity as the other test TSFs at Yukon like the J-10X. The anime probably used way too many as it is with the 6 that were chasing Inia back in episode 21 and the 2 escorting the Major’s Su-47 in this episode (Tarisa calls out 3 however).
The Scarlet Twins doing that shooting spin in the middle all of those TSFs…as cool as that looked, I still cringed a little for how corny it looked. And that pose by Top Element was very cringy…
Right, yeah. I was remembering wrong, the guy said “don’t send out the Falcons” rather than “send out the Falcons”. Fixed that bit.
And lmao, the corniness of the poses was what made it a nice touch for me, because it had a nice nostalgia factor with the good ol’ days of Power Rangers and their action poses. Heh. -_-
I’ve been scarred by action poses ever since Gundam Seed Destiny. Every battle scene was one stupid pose after another like when Strike Freedom and Legend would just collide their beam shields together, argh…the pointless shilling of Gunpla… Maybe it was all of those MiG-29s using their leg blade motors that looked a lot like what Infinite Justice would do that brought back those bad memories…
Too much for the allegiance to pull off? I don’t think so. Not if a lot of their men has entered the military of various countries.
The ‘INFINITIES conspiracy’ (why the RAPTORS not in the base) could be a hint. Although I can’t shake away the feeling that it’s just something like ‘Pearl Harbou conspiracy’ (why the U.S. carriers wasn’t in the harbour. Answer: U.S.A. did know there would be an attack but they thought the Japanese was going to attack the bases in Far East, like Clark AFB in Philippines. That’s why the U.S. even sent an old warship to Far East so Japan could bomb it. Who knows, IJN picked Pearl Harbour. The carriers’ escape, from what I found out so far, was really just a coincident)
And, for the gun pose, I haven’t watch Gundam Seed (just an episode or two) but I know a thing or two about the issue here. Yet, the pose of the two RAPTORS with Yuuya’s Shiranui in the middle seems natural for me.
Why? Because when the three of them took off to hit, they didn’t all take-off at once in a cliche way. The two RAPORS took off first, taking vantage points and cover Yuuya with fire support. Consider Yuuya knew he is low on ammo (and assume he told the Leon and Sharon about this), this scene actually made perfect sense.
TOMA, there is most likely no Christian Allegience at Yukon. There are hints in the show that point to such a conclusion such as one of the Major’s subordinates saying how nice it was to get rid of the idealists and the Major making a snide “Yeah right” after his last communication with Mariem. The Master’s final goal seems to be the Scarlet Twins in particular and to set up so much for it, even possibly getting the Infinities to Yukon and leaking the terrorist plot to their higher ups gives me the vibes of a grand shadowy conspiracy that goes beyond some group like the Christian Allegience.
If it looks like a cliche pose, smells like one, and feels like one, then it is most likely a cliche pose. There is no realistic reason why they would stand together like that except to look good. The explosion behind them to add that extra flair only exemplifies how corny it can look.
My slight feeling of disappointment probably comes from all of the quick action cuts because it is hard to feel the flow of the battle. Take for example Yui impaling the MiG-29 with the Type-00’s hand–it looks all cool and all but it doesn’t give a sense of why she had to resort to that because it was so short. I might have redone the scene by showing more but I can understand the time constraints to a degree although it was most likely another cliche pose to sell kits and figures down the line. Again, a slight niggle.
> TOMA, there is most likely no Christian Allegience at Yukon. There are hints in the show
> that point to such a conclusion such as one of the Major’s subordinates saying how nice it
> was to get rid of the idealists and the Major making a snide “Yeah right” after his last
> communication with Mariem. The Master’s final goal seems to be the Scarlet Twins in
> particular and to set up so much for it, even possibly getting the Infinities to Yukon and
> leaking the terrorist plot to their higher ups gives me the vibes of a grand shadowy
> conspiracy that goes beyond some group like the Christian Allegience.
You are right, I didn’t pay enough attention to that. However, don’t forget one thing: they are not hardcore fanatics doesn’t mean they don’t belong to that group (at least, they could have signed up).
For the ‘hunt of Scarlet Twins’, may be more are covered in the visual novel (that means I don’t know yet) but there is one point I would like to elaborate: while it makes perfect sense for someone powerful would like to get their hand on the super-soldier pair, isn’t it way too over-kill for setting up such a massive attack just for that?
Well, we should find out why pretty soon. I just hope the scriptwriter will give us a good enough reason for all these questions. (I mean it, mate, nowadays, way too many shows kept making conspiracy without giving a sound motive–if they bother to even think of one to begin with)
Also, if it is really as how you predict, that ‘Master’ probably wouldn’t have shown his face to the commanders on the com-link. Why? As I said before: those who showed their faces in the attack are most likely didn’t plan to live. This is not my deduction but the analysis from counter-terrorism research in reality.
Of course, this is an anime and the creators could simply want the ‘big boss’ of the villains to show his face, even just once. Any way, we should know what’s really happening soon enough and I do agree with what you said.
For the pose. What you have said is definitely right but then, I will call that the ‘original sin’ of mecha genre: they need poses. The three TSF standing together? It’s cliche, I agree, yet it is at least not impossible or totally unnecessary (say, may be, just may be, Sharon and Leon was checking up the Shiranui for damage? Yes, I know it’s just speculation); Yui’s Type-00 piecing the enemy TSF with hand? Just like you said, they should show more, like how did that TSF could get close to the Princess’s Type-00 (ah…A6M Zero again. Japanese really can’t forget that)
However, if you ask me, the action scene that is most problematic was probably the one that when Argos Flight is attacking the Comm-Center, Tarisa (Chobit) almost got sliced by a TSF hidding behind smoke, only saved by Yui. In that scene I think the creators of the anime didn’t show how did Tarisa evaded the attack and let Yui deliver the finishing blow very well.
The Major’s group is too professional and a lot of actions point to a far different goal than doing God’s work, such a thing the Major mocks. As I said before, it makes more sense to pretend to be the Christian Allegiance to gain the support of the RLF and then double-cross them later when they are no longer useful. You would think if the Major’s group was really part of the Christian Allegiance, they would have more compassion toward another religiously motivated group (Mariem’s sister claims she is going to meet God before self-destructing her F-16).
There are 2 explicit hints that the Major’s group are specifically after the Scarlet Twins: the first is one of the subordinates saying that they fell into their trap; and the second has the Major saying he was waiting for this moment when he triggers the device behind him. We’ll see what the device really does but my guess is that it has to be triggered when they are using Prafka or turning off their limiter. If you were an evil mastermind, you would probably plan out the situation as such:
1. Pitting the Scarlet Twins against a large group of BETAs should get them to use their special ability. It just so happens that there is a secret BETA research base near Yukon base (as any evil mastermind would know).
2. Your highly trained mercenary group won’t be enough to gain control over all of Yukon base so you will need extra muscle. Pretend to be the Christian Allegiance to gain the RLF’s cooperation.
3. The RLF will need a way to get into Yukon discreetly, so a delivery service is a good way to get them into the base. So far Yukon base is meeting its own needs so you will need them to burn through resources faster. You talk to the individual TSF manufacturers to egg them into a competition between the test flights (Mr. Hienemann had a lot of authority in episode 10).
4. This competition will attract the attention of the Americans. Note that many countries are developing their own TSFs so the Americans are no longer selling weapons to everyone anymore and this is a good opportunity to remind the world who has the better technology. They will likely send their F-22 Raptors so they will need to be distracted. If you leak the terrorist attack to them, they will probably take the opportunity to destroy the Soviet’s supply of G-Element which is nearby. They’ll use bombers to wipe out Yukon base since it has no AA defenses but they won’t know you released the BETA in the research facility.
5. The RLF will be useless and a liability after the initial takeover of Yukon base so they will need to be eliminated. The Soviets and Americans will immediately send their anti-terrorist forces so they can do the simple cleanup for you (the Major immediately sees what Argos Flight is up to in attempting to distract his force so the Spetznaz and Delta can get into the buildings and tells his men to fall for it).
So from this framework, you work out the little details later like how you acquire a Su-47.
Maybe he planned for all of the people in the command center to die? If anything we as the audience have to see the big boss in charge of this whole mess.
As Ozma Lee from Macross Frontier (ep 4) says, “That idiot, I’ve always told him to search for the next target immediately!” Since they are all professional soldiers and all… I liked the gritty feeling that the first 2 episodes had so the campy parts of this finale is kinda off-putting for me.
You can see in the lower section of the screen that Tarisa points her jump jets forward and reverses her thrust. The resulting exhaust pushes against the MiG-29, buying her time to flip out of there. Can’t do the math on how accurate that is, but that is what happens. My beef with that scene is that she uses the main jump jets and not the brand new waist thrusters the XFJ-01 has. Didn’t see Yuuya use the shoulder thrusters either when he was weaving side to side to avoid the gun fire.
Totally agree with you, mate, excellent deduction. (Guess I will re-watch all episodes before the finale, if I have time)^_^
> Maybe he planned for all of the people in the command center to die? If anything we as the
> audience have to see the big boss in charge of this whole mess.
Even so, showing his face on the Comm-link is pretty stupid for an evil genius (or is he really retard to begin with and is just another puppet?) as there is always a chance that the message could be intercepted. Don’t forget, the INFINITIES have all taken off. That means CIA or FBI are probably monitoring.
If it is all about showing the face to the audiences, there are better ways to do it without increasing the budget. E.g. the way of showing L’s face for the first time in ‘Death Note’. There is no need to put the face of that ‘MASTER’ on the COMM screen.
> As Ozma Lee from Macross Frontier (ep 4) says, “That idiot, I’ve always told him to search
> for the next target immediately!” Since they are all professional soldiers and all… I liked
> the gritty feeling that the first 2 episodes had so the campy parts of this finale is kinda
> off-putting for me.
Oh! I remember that episode–the first mock combat of Alto in space, which he brought back an antique gun with alien origin, right? And yes, just like Ozma said, both Alto and the Eishis in this episode should be more serious and less fancy on the battlefield.
I like the gritty feeling of the first two episodes of ‘Total Eclipse’, too. (Although the scene that Yui’s friends were eaten alive is really disturbing even censored) However, I think this issue has evolved in the series in the episode that Yuuya rescued Yui in the Far East Front. I have even said that was the first blunder of this series back then. So, I would say, we probably have to bear with it and try to focus on the better part and hope for better to enjoy the rest of the series.
The scene that Yui went berserk and almost got killed, only to be saved by Leon and Sharon after seeing Yukon in flame and remembered the horror in Kyoto years prior is gritty enough, though. Especially when that happened right after we saw the citizens in Yukon being massacred by BETA.
> You can see in the lower section of the screen that Tarisa points her jump jets forward and
> reverses her thrust. The resulting exhaust pushes against the MiG-29, buying her time to
> flip out of there. Can’t do the math on how accurate that is, but that is what happens. My
> beef with that scene is that she uses the main jump jets and not the brand new waist
> thrusters the XFJ-01 has. Didn’t see Yuuya use the shoulder thrusters either when he was
> weaving side to side to avoid the gun fire.
I will try to re-watch that scene in slow motion later, when I am less sleepy. However, from what I remembered, the pacing is just a little too fast and the angle of camera is not well place enough for an easy understanding of the sequence of action.
For the thruster issue, I think that’s another animation budget issue. 3D CG and CGI do allow more actions and making the anime more animated but they do cost a lot more to be drawn if the company don’t have a complete database of actions.
As a result, if the thrusters’ fire have to be drawn, the creators cannot just draw it with hand like hand-drew animation did, but have to (as far as I know) either:
1. draw it with computer frame-by-frame, similar to but harder than traditional animation (as
there are more frames here. Programs today can calculate a continuous action but probably
not the complex one we have here. Also, quality control takes time) or,
2. use the program to ‘tell’ the computer to simulate it just the flight-Sims did
Theoretically, option 2 is way cheaper if the creators have set-up a database with thrusters in action. If they didn’t, (i.e. all TSF models are just movable 3D models with the thrusters unmovable) too bad then, they have to use option 1. An easier way to imagine this problem is: in old-school flight-Sim in the old days of golden age of computer gaming (and probably gaming itself), the fighter aircraft would either remain intact or ‘destroyed’ rather than losing a wing or two.
OK, so much awesome this episode – it seems all the awsomnium saved during beach and hot springs episodes went into finale, along with budget.
Allegiance: think Westboro Baptist praising god for the BETAs. Nuff’ said. Still there might be another layer of plots within the plots… Ja?
F-22s sweeping in to shred RLF controlled TSFs was a sight to behold. Dont mess with Infinities!
So was all the knifefight-in-a-phone-booth close range maneuver combat, from swords to chainsaw armor edges…
Drama of BETA’s on the loose and the Red Shift imminent activation is another awesomeness factor.
RLF being completely screwed up – from outsde by Spetsnaz and Delta, form inside by Allegiance fanatics and finally by own suicidal mentality, was a treat too. After releasing BETA’s on civilian population centre they lost any shred of sympathy from me.
Finally All the development of the Scarlet Twins and their relation with Yuuya seems to actually start to matter. They have a real reason beyond standard conditioning to fight, and possibly die using mysterious Pravka system… unless Major Christopher somehow manages to hijack it. What he certainly doesnt have in his plans, is the girls connection to Yuuya, hence I can say Murphy is having probably surprise for the (ultimate?) bad guys too…
I hope this show will end well…. =|
I think this is how it will end.
http://puu.sh/1BT5q
Dude, major spoilage. Click at your own…
Show Spoiler ▼
so cryska and inia are gonna die? =O
It seemED that way when their commander gave them the go ahead to go all out with that attack on the BETA. However, when that Major activated the control system, I believe that “saved” them from the suicide-mission route. It seems rather obvious…
“Sir! I’ll go!”
“You know that’s one way right?”
“Yes, I want to go still because I’m in love and I’m slowly understanding the concept! (Though much faster than that idiot I’m in love with…)”
“Then go! I will remember you and contemplate why you did it even though I already know it’s because of that thick-headed bastard…damn I wish I was him, get me some hot Russian TSF pilots”
– they leave –
– bad guy initiates plan thus STOPPING them –
“Mwahahaha…I’m the king of the world! Until I die in dramatic order because this is a harem show and the harem master never loses really.”
Meanwhile in his TSF…
“I love machines.”
My bet is that they will wipe out the BETA and confront Yuuya and company of which Yuuya will do some ass-whooping and either kill the Major or he’ll get knocked out of the battle of which some surviving BETA will kill him. Either in the middle of that or at the end, Cryska and Inia will no longer be controlled and essentially will be saved.
After that, the harem ….er…I mean, the group, will get back together.
Holyshit that was awesome. Finally after all these episodes of LOL QUALITY we get an epic pay off, and what a pay off it was! Full on mecha combat at its finest! I hope the rest of the finale can maintain this level of quality.
lol @ all the political maneuvering though. The RLF were used by Christian Allegiance people, who were most likely actually Russians in a conspiracy against other Russians. Meanwhile the US does it’s own thing to maintain domestic peace or whatever.
Someone is getting that promotion he always wanted!
In memories of all the Soldier A who died in this episode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TA-QJ2d3kk
so now big fight going everyone come give not battle beta but also big twist it all another conspiracy group that are followers & servant siding with beta?
oh my really Allegiance human faction want side & conquer with beta & whole rlf there tools & whacked each other to blast themselves.
more yikes that Allegiance crazy guy looking hi-jack the scarlet twins?
I really love the F-22 Raptor. They seem pretty much invincible, appearing from the darkness to reap their enemies like death gods.
Their appearance was pretty well-choreographed too, with one Raptor hiding in the shadow of another.
Though the Type-00 Takemikazuchi and F-22 Raptors are really the best and awesome mecha’s out there, the maintenance is expensive, hence Shiranui Type-04/XFJ-01 project was released to minimize resource lose but with more effective in combat along with long fuel life.
Totally agree with you. (I wrote more about what I think about the RAPTORS in my comment below)
I especially like pitch black color of the RAPTORs. Although real RAPTORs have a different color scheme but, as the RAPTORS in MUV-LUV universe seems to be the first stealth fighter/TSF in human history, I think that’s why the anime’s creators chose the black colour, which is used on F-117 and B-2 in reality rather than on F-22.
The three hostage gals…did they just kick the bucket?
Doubt it. Considering how MuvLuv handles deaths of characters (explicitly showing their demise), if you don’t see it, they’re most likely alive.
RLF just toasted the Russian command minus that one guy who got saved at the last minute and then all killed themselves.
right after valentine was killed, we see 2 RLF soldiers shooting at what seems to be 2 hostages, so yea…>_>
“Too bad Yuuya still seems more interested in his TSF than women though”
Pretty sure it’s better to have one joke character around rather than two.
I gotta say, I love the way everyone pronounces Sandek’s name. “SANDEK CHEWY!”
and the way he in particularl says “TAKAMURA CHEWY!”
And yes, I’m aware they’re not actually saying “chewy”
For a moment I thought we will have an extended episode as finale this time, fortunately (or unfortunately?) it wasn’t the case.
The first thing I noticed in this episode is: are the creators of this anime reading our posts? Why would some of our discussions, like how I talked about the RLF are actually fire-and-forget pawns that are simply be used, pop-up in the story one by one?
OK, may be it’s just a coincident. Let’s move on. Next, just like MasterDragonKnight said, the Raptors are really cool. For two episode, they are just doing covert tasks but NOW THEY KICK ASS.
Show Spoiler ▼
Then, looks like we have a new A-hole first class in the story: swines and fanatics. Don’t get me wrong, I think the story has managed this element (i.e. the ‘internal front’ of the war) extremely well. What I want to say are:
1. to hell with those Allegiance bastards. They are even worse than terrorists. I have seen a
lot of villains in many stories. Some made me laugh out of Sarcasm; some made me gave a
thumb up for good character design. Yet, thees Allegiance bastards belong to the few that
can make me curse them while still acknowledging their character design.
2. With the true intention of the terrorist attacks unfolding (hijack the Scarlet Twins?
That Major Christopher did said he could have the super soldiers in the last episode,
remember?) What is Sandek thinking? I can’t wait to see what can be valuable enough to
make this clever villain turn his back to his motherland.
Show Spoiler ▼
Can’t wait for the next episode.
The bit with the RLF reminded me of a bit from the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, in the last arc, in talking between Atem and Bakura; Bakura stating how himself and others really came off as “evil” to Atem and the High Priests not because they were truly “evil”, but because they feared THEIR idea of justice compared to their own. Rather than, as Mireim was suggesting, surrendering and trying to alleviate some blame and punishment by trying to find evidence to show they were used by the Christian Allegiance, the more fanatical members just took the cowards way out out of fear of the idea of the “justice” the “evil” they were fighting against would be more so than out of any sort of actual belief in their cause that they kept spouting.
As the UN Soviet Commander plainly brought up, the RLF claimed to be fighting for the refugees and others that suffered under the “evil” he and others were said to have done, yet their actions were doing nothing but damning those very people and rather than accepting it, admitting they were wrong this time, and trying to do something to change it, they just kill themselves and will now be held in that “wrong” image in history most likely.
Considering the slip of tongue there by the “Christian Alliance”, I’d say there is something going on like in a Die Hard movie.
The bad guys are not what they seem, use a lot of disposable resources (in this casse the RLF) and try to put blame by redundancy. Like paying a certain role while being something different all together.
Im my opinion Show Spoiler ▼
Yuuya takes on the Major as the cast work to avert a major disaster in this incredible episode of Total Eclipse!
I’m not going to deny that Total Eclipses animation budget has been… well, I’ll just say that Satelight certainly didn’t have much to work with and it shows. Personally, I’ve never been turned off by the animation overall, but I can see how some would find it jarring and out of place, especially with all the off model shots and proportions. But when Satelight really uses whatever budget they still have, they always use it to make awesome fights and action scenes, and never was this more apparent than here where the Takemikazuchi, the Terminator, the Shiranui, the Berkut, and even the Raptor all got a moment to shine amidst war at the Yukon.
The Ed has been hinting at a fight between the Shiranui and the Berkut, and it finally came to pass here, proving well worth the wait as Yuuya took on Major Christopher. First, Yuuya earns even more props in this episode for being able to fight evenly with the Major, or at least successfully hold him off, especially when the Major is a veteran pilot and in a monster TSF like the Berkut. Secondly, the Major gets his due as well, handling the Berkut like a pro and proving to be a very formidable adversary and quite worthy of being the “final boss” of Total Eclipse. I’m hoping for an amazing showdown between these two next episode, with the Ed hinting that neither pilot will come out of the fight unscathed.
Speaking of the Major, his goals and the overall goals of his Master still remain shrouded in mystery. The Major claims to be working with the “Allegiance,” a group that seeks to aid the BETA under the belief that they are some divine force of God, but he doesn’t strike me as the type to fight for religious belief. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just more misdirection to hide his true allegiance, especially when he made it clear that his men were not to speak in their native language. About the only thing that is clear about both his and the Master’s true objective is that it involves the Scarlet Twins, though for exactly what purpose remains to be seen.
However, while their goal still remains unclear, Sandek’s finally came to the forefront as he attempted to use the Twins to stop the BETA. Sandek isn’t driven by national pride or by
worldly ideals of saving lives, but by self-gratification. He seeks to turn himself into a savior, and sees Inia and Cryska as a means of achieving that. Does that make him a villain? Not necessarily, and aside from having Latrova and Zhar Battalion killed, his actions so far have been more of a benefit than a hindrance. And while it may have only been for his plans than actual compassion, Sandek taking Cryska and Inia out of the facility put them on the path to meeting Yuuya and becoming a major threat against the BETA.
Speaking of the Twins, this episode also featured the culmination of their character development and their first true acts as their own person, something that even shocked the ever stoic Sandek. While they still don’t quite understand that they’re in love, they at least understand that they want to protect Yuuya more than anything else, and ensure the safety of the world he lives in. Is this because he’s a catalyst? Or because he treated them like the human beings they weren’t raised to be? I personally favor the latter, and it’s my hope that after all this is over Yuuya can continue to do so.
I couldn’t mention the result of the Twins’ development with Yuuya without mentioning Yui’s, as we see firsthand how she now has unshakable faith and trust in him. Just Yuuya promising he’ll be fine is enough to assuage any fears she may have in sending him out on what would amount to suicide for most pilots. The only flaw in this is that if in the end Yuuya doesn’t end up “okay,” it may just break her emotionally as bad as Kyoto did, or worse.
The reuniting of the “Top Element” was pretty nice, and it implies that despite all the animosity from their early days, Yuuya, Sharon, and Leon made a good team. Hopefully once all this is over Yuuya will finally get his chance to patch things up with his old comrades and start on a new foot with Leon.
Poor Mariem. After finally realizing the mistake both she and the RLF made in their actions, and that they were all being used, she gets gunned down just before she can try and set things right. I never agreed with her course of action, but I understood her goal, a noble one, and I wish she and her sister could have lived to find a different way to achieve it.
Yuuya may be the only thing that can stop the Major and his plans, at least without killing the twins, and judging by the preview he intends to do exactly that. And as the finale for Total Eclipse approaches I’m left with many questions: Who will live? Who will die? Who will win Yuuya’s heart? Will Yuuya ever stop being Mecha-sexual? Will Cui make a grand entrance? Will the Master be stopped? Will the cast be able to stop Red Shift? Is Lt. Orson still alive!? I have faith that these questions will be answered and Total Eclipse will end in quite the memorable bang, and I’m filled to the brim with anticipation!
Forgive me for being obvious (not read the VN/supplementary material), but surely the two big battles will be:
Show Spoiler ▼
First time commenting here and I really gotta ask:
Is that lucky soviet colonel the same guy that tried to get rid of the Zhar Battalion? If it is, he must be one of the luckiest background characters in the series (besides Orson). First Sandek saved his arse from Soviet high command, now Ibrahim saved his life from the RLF.
The other thing is, what exactly is the device that Major Chris activated? It probably has something to do with Prafka, but the acronym looks a little weird. Interesting thing is, the voice effects of the Inia “clone” seems very similar to the one on Cryska during Episode 3. Hopefully we’ll get more hints on what it is without having to play the VNs.
So, who are the REAL bad guys? The Germans, who else? If you want to have the “top of evilness” just insert some Nazis.
No hating on the Muv-luv Germans. They’re awesome. And really cute.
…and really badass… they basically bore the brunt of European BETA pouring out of Minsk hive…
Not hating them 😉 Just wandering, why the concept of the Nazis (that always evokes extrem feelings of hatred and/or fear) is still used so often for the “ultimative” bad guys. But the girls are really sweet. 🙂
And yes, I know that I kinda answered my question myself. 😉