Final Impressions / First Impressions / Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse

「白い闇」 (Shiroi Yami)
“White Darkness”

Going into this episode, there admittedly wasn’t much room to maneuver in terms of what could’ve been done. The way the previous episode ended and the fact that the source story itself is incomplete pretty much forced this finale to be straight forward, and it was. We get Major Christopher’s plan to control the Scarlet Twins backfiring and leading to his own brutal death, which ultimately leads to the berserk rampage we were pretty much all expecting at this point. Yui and Yuuya combine together in some great action scenes to bring them back to their senses, the Infinities (with the help of VG and Stella) take down the laser class in order to free up the skies for American bombers… and all is fine and dandy.

To say the least, the end result wasn’t particularly awesome (well, the action scenes were pretty good), but the fact of the matter is Total Eclipse’s finale ended up wrapping things up quite nicely. From what I’ve heard previously, this “terrorist arc” didn’t really have any openings for a proper conclusion, which in turn led many to wonder just exactly how the series would end. As we see now, it took a little bit of anime original modifications (at least, I believe it was, as I don’t think the Berkut was ever meant to show up at this point)… but they managed to do it. Granted, some of the major threads still have question marks, but the bottom line is that this episode did feel like a finale. Every one of the characters return in some shape or form… they’re all going their separate ways and moving on… there were some odes to the past (Latrova’s words, Yuuya’s arrival, Yui’s first impressions)… and they even managed to slip in that epilogue bit that was based on the PV for the TE game too.

All in all, there really is admittedly not much to say here in terms of the episode itself. It was just one of those straight forward finales that wrapped everything up with a nice bow tie, while setting up for the potential for more in the future (and the PS3/XBOX game to be released early next year). You’ll find my final impressions after the End Card.

P.S. Loved how they bought back the second ending theme this episode. I was hoping it’d make its appearance here, and they definitely didn’t disappoint in that regard. 😀

Epilogue:

 

ED2.24 Sequence

End Card

Final Impressions:

If there’s one thing about any series, it’s that whether you like it or not typically depends on your own preferences and viewpoints. And for me, I feel that assertion fits particularly well with Total Eclipse. Because the fact of the matter is, there were two faces to this series.

Going back to some of my comments from earlier in the season, the fact of the matter is that Total Eclipse was originally intended as a sales device. However, after becoming much popular than ever anticipated, genuine effort was put into expanding the series (whose original material hit episode 7) and making it a proper iteration of the Muv-Luv universe. In this context, it can be said that Total Eclipse succeeded. The shift to the Kamchatsky arc heralded a noticeable improvement over the first arc, and despite not being anywhere near as good as the original trilogy, Total Eclipse did manage to at least give first time viewers a glimpse of what the Muv-Luv universe offers. Yes, there the abruptness of the shift was pretty obvious in terms of both the tone and the character development, but considering the fact that the original beginning was already there and set in stone, they did a fairly good job. And this is what I mean. Total Eclipse is a story of two faces: the one we got before the shift and the one after the shift. I personally liked how things managed to pick up despite its shaky beginnings (and the its anime original first 2 eps), but there are others that aren’t as forgiving, and would penalize the series greatly as a result. Notably, this in turn leads to my next point, which further emphasizes how one’s view affects how their opinion on this series.

From the perspective of a typical viewer trying to judge this series (as objectively as possible), one could probably agree that most would consider this series as something wasn’t anything particularly great or a masterpiece in any sense. At the same time—provided the viewer doesn’t have any major aversion against Sci-Fi or Mecha—one could probably agree that Total Eclipse wasn’t a particularly bad series either, as there were still elements that made this series worth watching at times too. Combining this with the fact that many first time Muv-Luv viewers seemed to be disappointed by the lack of BETA compared to their expectations, and it’s probably accurate to say that the bottom line was the show ended up pretty average—neither leaning toward success or failing in terms of being judged as an anime alone.

Lot more ahead. Click for more! ▼

88 Comments

  2. What is the original trilogy? Is it an anime? I’ve never heard of it before but now I am interested. What is available out there in English that I can continue the Muv-Luv universe adventure with?

    dimasok
    Reply

      1. Well, none of the main heroines died. Natalie died. Kyoko died. Hot scientist chick probably is gone. Hot terrorist twins died. All of Yui’s classmates died. Had a lot of deaths. Damn it all….

        Horus
        Reply

  5. Cryska finally admits that she loves Yuuya, and Yui recognizes her as a love rival.

    On that note, I wonder how exactly Inia views Yuuya? She is obviously fond of him, saying that his color is the prettiest. However, I don’t think she loves him in a romantic sense, but more familial like with Cryska.

    MasterDragonKnight
    Reply

    1. Inia loves Yuuya in a different sense. Since she’s so innocent, her perception of mature love has not fully developed so her affection is displayed in a child’s fashion. Her words and actions are more of an imouto, a little sister loving her older brother.

      In time, when she grows and her mind matures, she’ll show her feelings in a more adult way. I sincerely bet that she’ll be very pretty all grown up, likely rivaling Cryska and Yui.

      And who knows, considering how Yuuya is going on his decision making, she may just have time to catch up and compete with those three, er….four.

      Looking at the relationships, I do believe that Cryska has more of a lead in regards to having Yuuya’s attention. If she was actually a TSF, then we’d be set and he’d have no problem entering her.

      Horus
      Reply

  6. I really liked the series. I’m unfamiliar with the Muv-Luv universe so this side-story was a nice step into that world. Somewhere I hope that they keep the Total Eclipse universe around. I mean if Muv-Luv is as good as people say it is, then a second season wouldn’t be that hard to produce. Because the show does end with a lot of unanswered questions/open endings.

    Lt. Sandak and his schemes to assassinate anyone who gets in his way, Yui’s hearing and the cancellation of the Test program. The shady guy who organized the Terrorist attack on Yukon base. And well, the world is a big place and the BETA won’t sit quietly, so they can probably write up some good stories to fill a possible second season with it. Though I am interested in seeing the original animated, but I think I’m biased towards Total Eclipse, purely because it was my first contact with the Muv-Luv universe.

    NaitoNii
    Reply

    1. >Because the show does end with a lot of unanswered questions/open endings.

      That’s because they want you to buy the Total Eclipse visual novel that’s coming out February next year, so no second season for TE anytime soon.

      Also, you should definitely play the original trilogy in its entirety because they just blow TE out of the water.

      Sol
      Reply

  8. Good series. I really enjoyed the characters and how they used them (with Yuuya being mechasexual, they drove the point home there). The reason I say this is because they end up going back to the idea of love rivals. Like, where’s Yuuya in this?

    There’s also the non-inclusion of Inia and Cryska actually seeing Yuuya towards the end of the episode.

    I’m just a bit confused about what the whole thing with Sandeks plan & the assassination plot. Anyone want to explain this part?

    Other than that, great show and kept me interested most of the time!

    ctscloud
    Reply

    1. wot i think:
      Show Spoiler ▼

      Sol
      Reply

  9. The author of TE said that maybe Alternative would be animated if TE anime sold 50,000 copies, so I hope something has changed. Have the creators/production staff dropped hints about animating the other stories, or is this just wishful thinking/speculation on your part?

    Anon
    Reply

    1. Kouki himself said via Twitter there’s a significance to this episode being aired on Christmas Eve in Japan time. This was a key date for the trilogy and pretty much hints at the animation of the trilogy eh.

      Also, the BD’s are selling fairly well (over 5000 copies per volume so far), there’s an influx of new Muv-Luv figures from Volks and Kotobukiya (which are also selling out fast too), and Muv-Luv has garnered wide spread popularity in Japan, so from a logical standpoint there should be enough reason for them to make an adaptation too, even if Kouki didn’t say anythin’. 😛

      Zephyr
      Reply

  10. so nutty Allegiance try to control the twins but got pancake’d by them so cause twins are final boss battle & yuuya to the rescue give all the I Know You’re in There Somewhere speech fight to twins.

    to point like almost “whacked” yuuya the twins wake up all ok with battle over yet seem “evil red master” moving to next plan.

    now all that done everyone moves cause adventures continues now yui & cryska now battle for yuuya love (hey at least all his female harem aka yui, twins, chinese, swedish milk, ex-american girl, etc all safe now harem complete?)

    runmo
    Reply

    1. LASER Beta can be dodged since a TSF computer can detect a general trajectory of the LASER before its shot giving a pilot a chance to get out of its way. Its not entirely reliable though, but what is definite though is that LASER never hit other BETA so pilots can use either living or dead BETA as cover. Then they just have to worry about being mauled in close quarters.

      You actually see one of the Infinites do this.

      fragb85
      Reply

  13. I really enjoyed this series. I do however feel that it lost its way. There were too many things going on in this series and it tried to cover them all but still you felt unsatisfied when it ended. Its like the series kinda meandered around from here to there.

    It started with the BETA invading and fighting against them. Then turned into training new fighters and a little bit of a love story rolled in as well. Then the rebel arc and now we are done. It just felt weird that aliens are invading and conquering large portions of the planet but the story goes off on all these side tangets like a love triangle, and even adds rebels trying to take over the base while the aliens are also on the move and the evil russians have their own plan to put into play.

    I still liked the series and the characters and individual episodes but now that its done it feels unsatisfied.

    Karmafan
    Reply

      4. @razz Same here. Those BETAs are blushing for Yui and Yuuya bodies….. wait tht came out wrong. Some1 get Stella here to snipe those BETAs! Also, no spoiling plz.

        @croos Best example here. How I wish I can unspoil myself 🙁

        d-LaN
        Reply

  15. Big changes from the LN, from what I can see its the anime came out better for it

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Overall I like they way they did the finale. The events flowed better and felt more dramatic. Its a nice way to end a good note as and leave it open for the VN as opposed to a cliffhanger.

    As for the show itself, it was decent. I am disappointed that the studio didn’t care much for it, since it was clearly under budget and full of QUALITY and cost cutting measures. The action of this episode clearly shows that the mecha could be much better if it had a little money. Still for what the producers did with what they had it came out looking okay. Hopefully and more Muv-Luv projects get more funding and better direction, there is so much of this franchise to explore. I want an anime adaptation of Muv-Luv: The Euro Front next.

    What’s next for TE? I honestly don’t know since it still doesn’t have an ending yet. What I know so far *slight VN spoilers* Show Spoiler ▼

    fragb85
    Reply

  16. enjoyed MUV LUV TE I will give it a 7.5/10
    The show had it highs and lows but had pretty good character development and some good action scenes/gore
    hopefully second season gets made after the VN and hopefully the VN will come over to America
    Nice last episode

    Shungin
    Reply

  17. Ending seemed fairly anticlimactic to me…

    Build up over the past few episodes on how they’re all the only ones that can stop the bombs from going off… and then bombers come out of nowhere and do all the work while everyone gets emotional and the TSF’s share a hug.

    qwert
    Reply

    1. Mmm the only real place to get A3’s these days (and at an affordable) are either proxy off Volks’ main site, Rakuten, or REDACTED eh. Same goes for the kits (which are actually arguably of higher quality) if you’re into those. 😛

      Basically peek around japanese sites or second hand sellers. XD

      Zephyr
      Reply

    1. No, Total Eclipse’s source isn’t actually done. There was a preview demo with one of the Muv-Luv VN’s, but that was incomplete. There was also a novel, which covered most of the material in this adaptation, but that is also incomplete and has no translations/scans that I know of.

      The game releasing early 2013 will complete Total Eclipse.

      Zephyr
      Reply

    2. >Is the actual sidestory done in the visual novel?

      The full VN isn’t even out yet. Wait till it releases in Feb 2013. I actually preordered it.

      >I only found 3 manga chapters (which is far lagging behind the anime)

      Sounds about right. The translator is extremely slow.

      >and no novel even though I read there is one…

      TE started out as a serialized publication, then it got edited into a novel format. There are 5 novels out at the moment (with a few chapters of the serialized publication ahead ‘ending’ at a huge cliffhanger, but still unedited for novel format, which would be vol. 6), but all untranslated.

      Sol
      Reply

  20. Hopefully they gained enough profit so they can animate the Muv-Luv trilogy (properly) and (maybe) a second season of TE, but the day they’ll announce MuvLuv Alternative Schwarzesmarken being adapted I will jump for joy.

    Major Li
    Reply

    1. Personally I don’t think there ever will be a second season of TE unless some future product really nets a lot of moolah sadly.

      It does seem like the signs will point to either the trilogy or Schwarzesmarken/Euro Front being the next to be adapted though.

      Zephyr
      Reply

  22. Before writing my comments, I really want to know where is the ‘End Card’ comes from? I didn’t see it.

    Now, my final verdict for this anime. Rather than giving a long paragraph like I always do, I tried to comment on different aspects one by one this time.

    Here we go:

    1. The story
    ‘It’s a good day to die! When you know the reason why! Citizens! we fight for what is RIGHT!’
    From the theme song of ‘Starship Troopers 3: Marauder’, “It’s a good day to die!”

    Right from the start, even for those who have never played the original games and related managa and novels will know one thing: it’s a war story. Not the kind like ‘Strike Withes’ but more like ‘Starship Troopers’ (This time, unfortunately, the story leaned more towards that Crappy, shameless movie series rather than the awesome and genius original novel, especially in the later part) and ‘War of the Worlds’. Humans are challenged by a monsters-like alien and hopeless in winning against them. The anime has made a huge amount of effort in delivering this impression to the audiences through the 25 episodes and I must say it has done it exactly how I like it! It told us what’s going on; it told us why it’s hopeless; it even told us why it is a fight that humans must win as surrender is not an option and, on the top of all, it didn’t just dump all these ‘intel’ to us through an propaganda-like constant narration (which happened in older anime like ‘Captain Harlock’ and ‘The legend of Galactic Heros’). Although the rich and engaging story is definitely the work of the original’s authors, credits should still be given to the anime’s creators for good editing.

    The biggest problem about the story is probably the ending is not very conclusive and I can see ‘to be continued’ written all over. However, consider the original still on-going, the finale still deserve full marks.

    2. Graphic
    ‘My God! It’s full of Stars!’
    From ‘2001: space Odyssey’

    Some of you may laugh when you see my quote but seriously, I don’t know should I criticize or praise the graphic of ‘Total Eclipse’. Just like the protagonist of ‘2001: space Odyssey’ didn’t know how to report the situation in this last transmission of his.

    The most straight forward impression of the graphic in ‘Total Eclipse’ will be excellent for 2D (like some action scenes, characters and background) but poor for 3D (the mecha, BETA and most action/fighting scenes). For the 2D, I have nothing to criticize. Everything are drawn in the way it should, including the sexy fan service like the bouncing of boobs and the sexy figures of the female characters. The controversy is in 3D. Compare to masterpieces like ‘Ghost in the Shell’ and ‘Appleseed’, 3D CG/ CGI in ‘Total Eclipse’ is only so-so. Still, without these ‘so-so’ 3D, I guarantee that the action scenes in ‘Total Eclipse’ will not be even half as good as how it is, unless someone poured loads of money into this project for more detail 2D action scenes. Still, from time to time the 3D just doesn’t blend into the 2D graphics good enough and those who pay attention to details will always get a little feeling of inconsistent.

    Still, all BETA moves in the way they should and so as the TSFs. Also, hey, ‘INITIAL D’ is back! If no one criticize about the 3D in the anime that have been applying 3D in 2D anime in this way in the past 13 years, I don’t see any problem with ‘Total Eclipse’–even its 3D still have rooms for improvements.

    3. Music
    ‘Listen to my song!!!!!’
    By Basara Nekki in ‘Marcross 7’

    Yep, just like how did Basara engaged his audiences, music in ‘Total Eclipse’ did about the same job. The first op and ed, and the second op are my favourite. I just love their melodies and lyrics. For the lyrics, I especially love the first op as it is rarely not all about ‘love’, which is very befitting to the grim military sci-fi tone in the early part of the story. The second ed was said to have contained hints about the finale but I don’t really like the melody. Still, all four songs have done a good job.

    For the BGM and inserts, most of them have done a pretty good job, too. E.g. the rock-and-roll in ep 3 (when Yuuya has a mock battle in Argos flight for the first time) and the inserts in this episode. I like most of them. To the very least, I like the music in ‘Total Eclipse’ more than those in ‘Code Geass’ even I like some songs in ‘Code Geass’. The reason is that while both animes are war stories with tons of love elements in them, those in ‘Total Eclipse’ kept the hard, tough feeling of military sci-fi (except for those in non-fighting scenes, of course), while the music in ‘Code Geass’… well, I am not sure about seaons two and three but those in season one just don’t have any military-feel at all(even there are armies everywhere).

    4. Political Bias
    ‘That is a CONSPIRACY!!’
    From ‘Welcome to NHK’

    The early part of ‘Total eclipse’ basically free of this problem as it focused on man vs BETA. As a result, someone on YOUTUBE had even made an AMV about the ‘totalism’ in MUV-LUV franchise (in this case, for TOTAL ECLISE). The problem surfaced around the ‘Far East Front’ arc, where the Soviet’s desire of the ‘big gun’ made in Japan and the annihilation of Zhar Battalion started everything, reaching the height in the terrorist arc. Are the Christian Allegiance really behind the terrorist attack? What is Sandek plotting? Is the attack on Yukon another American conspiracy? Who is that ‘Master’? Is he really a fanatic and a swine at the same time? Why would the ‘INFINITIES’ bugged out right before the attack?

    All these remained unanswered. I know they probably saving it for season two but, from how messy this conspiracy theory has gone, I can’t help but think that’s because this is a Japanese story, so, Japan seems to remain as the only country with almost zero conspiracy. At the same time, all the conspiracies are obviously referenced from history of WW2, cold war and famous conspiracy theories after Sept. Eleven.

    I don’t really know whether this is good or bad. Let’s hope the original authors and anime creators can give a satisfactory explanation to all these questions in a bang when season 2 comes out.

    5. Characters

    Full marks. No need for even quoting. Just full marks!

    I especially like the design of Yuuya. All these years, even for masterpieces like Full Metal Panic and City Hunter, there is always a problem in Japnese anime: as long as the protagonist has Japanese blood in his vein, he will always act like a Japanese, more or less. For the first time, I have seen some innovation in ‘Total Eclipse’ when Yuuya kept insisting he is an American and rejecting his Japanese lineage; then we see him changed by the Argos Flight, and comes to reconciliation with his sad past, and admitting he is a Japanese-American. Men, how often you can see Japanese write a story with a protagonist like that? It’s so realistic, powerful and convincing at the same time!

    The major problem in terms of character design would probably the shy-side of Yui. Seriously, if it is not for the sake of fan service, I can’t see why a strong woman like her would act like a shy little girl like that. The way she comes to love Yuuya also seems to be a little not convincing enough for me as the two of them have been arguing all the time since ep 3. From my point of view, Yuuya will probably fall for Stella rather than Yui as Stella is the first one who actually lent a hand to Yuuya after he just reported to Argos Flight. Cryska and Inia will also be reasonable to fall for Yuuya. For Yui, I just can’t see how did it start. All I could guess was may be more were covered in the novel but omitted in the anime.

    6. Overall verdict
    ‘I got a feeling it is not the end, it’s just the beginning.’
    By Master Chief in ‘Halo: Combat Evolved’

    Just like the Chief said, when there is still Halo 4 after we ‘finish the fight’ in Halo 3, like hell the story of ‘Total Eclipse’ (and MUV-LUV fanchise) will just end like this. For the brighter side you can say all the problems and issues are no problem but hints; on the darker side, though, it could means this awesome story may just hang in there forever if there is no seasons 2 or other sequels (like ‘Ga-Rei Zero’).

    Anyway, I loved ‘Total Eclipse’ and I don’t regret watching it for the whole season. Although the grim serious military taste was diminished in the later part due to fan service and way-too arguable conspiracies (and possible political bias), which are over-used from time to time, to think I could watch such a serious military sci-fi after season 2 of ‘Fate/Zero’ right before the end of 2012, what can I say? Wait, there is one:

    GIVE ME MORE!!!!!!!!!

    TOMA
    Reply

    2. I would say that the 3D was better than the 2D. There were a lot of times where the characters were oddly drawn, like episode 12 at 16:57 where Yuuya’s head looks bigger than it should. Remember that Satellite animated Macross Frontier so they have a lot of practice in the 3D department. My main gripe is how they went cheap in certain scenes and mixed in 2D images of the TSFs and BETA which made the switch back and forth pretty jarring. I like the more fluid nature of the 3D fight scenes and the industry has definitely gotten much better since the days of say Vandread. If anything, less is more: 3D mecha seem the most realistic when it restrains itself in its movements and doesn’t wave its limbs everywhere (it’s a 20 meter, 20-50 ton machine after all).

      MacrossFan
      Reply

      1. Good point.

        And yes, the mecha in Total Eclipse does seem to be less agile than BEAT in many cases (that’s why so many of them are destroyed by Tank Types that climbed onto them). This may not good for the action but it does stated why it is such an impossible fight for human as even the best weapon at their disposal (other than nuke) can only do that much.

        Also, for those who don’t understand why the TSFs are so easy to be broken, check out the Muv-luv Wiki. The original story has that aspect covered as well. Genius.

        TOMA
        Reply

  24. Well the anime started on a strong note with the 2 first episodes but kind of “calmed down” from there with few high notes mainly near the end.I don’t know if it’s the setting of the anime being majorly the stationary military testing ground or the cliche harem romance that was dragged or the fact that i was following too much animes but the only thing i retained from this is…mostly a blur.Maybe because i was wrongly expecting something along the line of Blue Gender with the whole “Characters being constantly on their toes, because they never now when the next Blue attack will be”. It felt too much relax for the most part.I would have liked if they made an episode fully dwelling a bit more deeper into the origin of the BETAS(maybe i will check the novels for that).I give it anime 7/10.

    Satyr
    Reply

    1. Considering the demographics of the series’ target audience, the presentation has to “tone down” after the first couple episodes, otherwise the story will be too dark to be enjoyable by most youngsters. But still, the story spent too little time on the “meaning” of encountering the aliens. Through the character Yuya, the author struggled too hard to “prove” how the Japanese (and the Japanese way of thinking) is worthy of praise from the Americans. At the end, Yuya became yet another undeserving superhero that saved the world. The Japanese way looks shallow and self-congratulatory. Both the worldview and the characters are way underdeveloped. I would give this series only about 5 or 6 out of 10 overall. In terms of graphics, this series does look above average.

      Matroid
      Reply

      1. Actually, Yuuya didn’t save the world. A certain bratty savior did that.

        The Japanese way (aka YAMATO DAMASHII) is seen as [for the most part] stupid and illogical in the ML universe. I tend to think of it as Yuuya misattributing his anger for his father abandoning his family to hating the Japanese way of life. It’s when he comes in terms with his other half that he understands that some of the ideas the Japanese (have for TSFs or otherwise) aren’t that bad. It’s just that he was too stubborn to see that, but that soon changed.

        >Both the worldview and the characters are way underdeveloped

        Play the VNs. You’ll understand why America does what it does and why Japan does what it does and that both sides have their stupidity to show. Sadly the other media dealing with the ML universe are largely untranslated (such as Schwarzesmarken and Eurofront, which focus on Germany and England). It’s a large universe to it’s hard to cover everything. For better or worse, all in-universe stuff goes through Kouki, so tweet @ him for any questions.

        Sol
        Reply

      2. We are judging the anime. Can’t expect us to watch an anime series and then when discussing the weak points of the series folks chime in with “go play the game to understand the series”. To me the anime series SHOULD have explained the anime series.

        Karmafan
        Reply

  27. Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse finally comes to a close in a surprisingly satisfying anime finale!

    There was indeed an awesome showdown between the Shiranui and the Berkut as promised in the Ed, but in a very different context and with the Takemikazuchi thrown in for good measure. Prior to having seen the episode, I was under the impression that the final fights of the show would be Yuuya vs. Major Christopher and Yui vs. The Scarlet Twins, so I was quite surprised to see the Major taken out so unceremoniously as the Twins took over the Berkut. But I feel it made for a much more thrilling and emotional battle, as the Twins put the Berkut to better use than I think the Major ever could and Yuuya and Yui were left the only ones who could stop them.

    Ultimately, Yuuya was able to save the Twins and stop whatever plans the Master and Christopher had for them, shocking even Sandek. Having lived a life filled with the reality of the things you take and what’s taken from you, Yuuya finally resolves to fight so that nothing else is ever taken from him, throwing his life on the line and never once giving up in order to achieve that. It’s idealistic, naive, and overall downright suicidal, but I feel that if anyone can follow that life goal and succeed, it’s Yuuya Bridges. Afterall, He was able to find the answer Ibrahim never could: to believe in your choices and potential, and do whatever you can with them.

    Even after everything, the true goal of the Master remains as elusive as he is. Was he aiding the RLF? Was he trying to destabilize the UN or other nations? Is he working with the Allegiance in aiding the BETA? Does he just want to let the world burn like the Major? Whatever his goals are, at the very least he wasn’t able to achieve anything at the Yukon thanks to the efforts of the main cast. Though now it seems he’s set his sights on Japan, and I can only hope there’ll be some conclusion regarding him in the Visual Novel.

    I’m officially calling Leon as an unofficial member of Yuuya’s harem. His dialogue in this episode just screamed of unresolved sexual tension, or at the very least that he and Yuuya seem to be inextricably linked to one another by fate. I think past the attitude and difficulty letting go of the past, Leon really does care about Yuuya in his own way, I’d even go so far as to say more than he does Sharon. He’s even more of a Tsundere than Yui is!

    The ending certainly had a melancholic and bittersweet taste towards it, as Yui heads back to Japan. But for now it’s for the best, as if she stayed in Alaska any longer she’d run the risk of being assassinated by Sandek. He can’t have someone hogging Yuuya’s affection when it needs to be directed completely towards the twins. She’s at least not going back as the same person she was prior to the main story, having both matured and gained a new determination from her experiences in the Yukon and meeting Yuuya, and hopefully that will be enough to keep the XFJ Project going so she can come back.

    I don’t like that slasher smile on Inia’s face… whether it be from almost killing Yuuya, breaking free from the mind control, or from Soviet experimentation, Inia seems to have taken a turn for the worse. I expect the Visual Novel to cover this more in depth, as it may come down to both Yuuya and Cryska to help save Inia.

    The Yuuya/Yui shipper that I am, I was slightly disappointed that there wasn’t more romantic resolution between them. But as a whole I think their final scene in front of the Shiranui worked very well. Yuuya and Yui’s relationship has been, at least to me, one of the core stories of Total Eclipse, and it was nice to see it reflected on, from their rough beginnings, to their growing closer, and to Yui falling in love with him. Their salute at the end perfectly showcased the immense amount of respect the two now have for one another, and just how close they are that just a salute can carry as much meaning as words. They don’t need to resolve whatever feelings they may have now, because they believe wholeheartedly that they will meet again.

    I have to say, I really liked that the show ended on the true beginning the love triangle, as Cryska sees Yui off and apparently tells her about Sandek’s plans, and Yui leaves after telling Cryska that they aren’t enemies; their rivals in love. Yui is openly declaring her feelings for Yuuya and that she won’t give up on him, something I think Cui would be impressed by, and that she intends to come back to the Yukon to settle things with Cryska over Yuuya. I was always wondering whether that scene in the PV would be animated, and I was pleased to see how it was integrated into the show. Hopefully the Visual Novel will give some sort of resolution to the triangle… wait, why am I reminded of Macross Frontier: The Wings of Goodbye?

    All in all, Total Eclipse has been a very enjoyable experience from beginning to end. The animation may not have been superb, but the mecha action, story, and characters more than made up for it. While a second season is doubtful, I at least hope that after the Visual Novel is released that Satelight creates some sort of conclusion for the anime instead of just leaving things here. The Visual Novel coming here is even more doubtful, but I’ll be anxiously anticipating it’s release to find out what I can about the Novel and ultimately see the true end of Total Eclipse. Hopefully it will prove to be a satisfying conclusion to the story of Yuuya, Yui, Cryska, and the cast, and one I’ll remember fondly.

    Frontier
    Reply

  30. Overall, not too bad for a mecha anime. Kinda sucks that we have to wait for a game that we will never get here in the US to know how Total Eclipse ends. Some interesting speculation on where the game might lead:

    * The “Master” was pissed that Christopher doesn’t bring back the Scarlet Twins and then throws his dagger at an upside-down map of the world, hitting Japan, and saying it’s time for the next move. Likely he has some conspiracy for Japan that Yui may be involved in. What in the world happens in Japan in the near term, say December…

    * Anyone notice the sickle and hammer near the “The End” at the end? I speculate that the PS3 game will have some scenes in maybe the Russian part of Alaska. This lends some credence to the PV having Yuuya walking toward a Su-47? Does he make a deal with Lt. Sandek in order to save someone? Who knows about this one.

    And now onto the scorecard on who might win over the blockhead Yuuya:

    Yui – mainly serves as a vehicle for Yuuya accepting his Japanese side. They have grown very close with Yuuya mentioning twice “their” Shiranui Second as a link between the two. Yui also has the support of Argos Flight, especially Stella, which can help run interference on the other girls while Yui is back in Japan. Her main issue is that Yuuya tends to see her as another Eishi, though he does tend to think a lot about her.

    Cryska – easily Yui’s rival for Yuuya. Her impromptu confession in the Su-47 really has to have Yuuya wondering what she could have meant (though true to form, he’s probably going to rationalize it away somehow). Her naivete has made her very approachable for Yuuya and has given her a lot of insight on how he thinks, but she could be losing that advantage as she grows more aware of her feelings. She mainly has Inia as an excuse to approach Yuuya and her childish antics has been something that Cryska and Yuuya have bonded over.

    Yifei – really only an outside chance. Her only advantage is how open she is with her feelings and her aggressive nature. She is the only one in the group who would have no problems throwing Yuuya onto the nearest bed if given half the chance.

    Inia – the wildcard. Yuuya obviously looks after her as if she was a little sister and would let her get away with a lot of things since he would see it as childish acts. After the terrorist incident, you can see that she has an odd smile in the tank so who knows what kind of personality she comes out with.

    Tarisa – permanent friend zone, enough said.

    My bet? Yui, as this is a Japanese anime.

    MacrossFan
    Reply

    2. I agree. From the plot so far, Yui does have the greatest chance. Although there is also a chance that the story in the up-coming game could have multi-ending. That means the Scarlet Twins (both of them? May be too lucky for Yuuya) and other girls all could have a (or more than one) chance of having a happy ending with our hero.

      Still, t Stella has so little screen time in Total Eclipse. Would that because she is a character appeared in other installments of the franchise?

      TOMA
      Reply

  31. I started watching this show expecting Macross Plus with a MuvLuv twist, what I got was….. Maybe I did get something like that. The first two episodes revealed how grim the situation is. After that Yuya’s personality really ticked me the wrong way. Interesting enough it was the beach episode that kept me watching. Cryska’s and Yui’s interaction was what kept me interested. It showed that there was something more behind their characters. After that, it just kept getting better.

    This last episode was also quite good. It didn’t go the way we expected. Considering a VN was announced, the worst case scenario was ending it in a cliffhanger, and fortunately, it ended in a way that screams: Sequel! I almost got worried that they killed of Sandek as he’s the person that makes interesting things happen in TE. Thankfully he lived, so he’s still around to make Yuya’s future a lot more complicated.The last scene was just beautiful. It clearly shows how much our three amin characters has developed throught the series. It’s interesting that Cryska decides to confront Yui with the matter, what ever that maybe.

    To me, this anime is to 2012 what Steins; Gate was to 2011. There are better ones airing this year, but this is the one I’ll remember.

    Some random thoughts:
    – Tarisa loses 100% of her fights against non-BETA, but she never loses her life.
    – “Inia” is scary, how does Inia live with her. Considering Inia’s innocence, living with “Inia” probably gives her lots of nightmares.
    – Ibrahim and Valentine’s path ended in a predictable way, just like real life. They both haven’t achieved their goals, but at least on is still alive to try and achieve it.
    – Sandek’s plan never goes accordingly, but he still manages to get something good out of it. He really needs to getup the ranks quickly.
    – Stella and VG reminds me so much of a certain pair in Baldr Force, that it’s amazing they’re still alive.
    – Bomber pilots must realize that it’s dangerous to try and bomb Yuya, he has Laser-class anti-air defences….
    – Vincent is an expert in deleting top secret data.

    theirs
    Reply

  32. OK, so we have a closure of sorts, yet leaving a room for a new story to begin.
    Scarlet Twins first go berserk, then settle down all due to the POWER OF LOVE (T)- love for Yuuya, of course. Smug snake Mjr Christopher gets squashed, nice fitting end for someone who betrayed his own troops.
    In the end it was Infinities (with a little help from their friends) who eliminated laser class and allowed USAF bring their bombers into action. So basically for once it was secondary characters saving the world!
    After-action we have some humor courtesy of Tarisa and Cui! In a major plot twist for ML verse, nobody from good guys side died in the last episode.
    Yui gets recalled to Japan for questioning. Political enemies try to kill XJF project. Standard fare by the measure of the political backstabbing at the rear…
    Yuuya is as usual, mechasexual, Yui is going away and he muses about Shiranui!
    Lt Sandek gets a surprise but still beneficial ending for him. I trust him as far as my gun reaches, but he is definitely MAGNIFICENT BASTARD (T).
    And meanwhile, somewhere in the world red-haired EVIL MASTERMIND (T) plans another move in his XANATOS GAMBIT (T), over a strangely positioned world map.

    ewok40k
    Reply

    1. Nice summary, mate. And yes, if I am someone in that universe, I will keep at least one gun pointing at Sandek at any given time, too.

      Yuuya did see Yui off, though. With a salute, that is, and that’s all. ^_^

      That’s probably why the girls in the control room said the Princess is wasted on ‘that blockhead’.

      By the way, when the Scarlet Twins squashed Major Christopher and his mind-controller, does any one noticed in the split second when the mind-controller was destroyed, a silhouette with a shape that looks like Inia is inside the machine (when its case cracked open)?

      Of course, may be I was just seeing thing that wasn’t there. Just curious.

      TOMA
      Reply

      1. “Yuuya did see Yui off, though. With a salute, that is, and that’s all. ^_^”

        That’s all that needed to be said. Those two don’t need words. And most importantly…

        Yuuya knows.

        Yui will be back, and he will be waiting for her.

        Greenmantle
        Reply

  35. Though I liked it, it somehow feels like a lost opportunity. Neither the plot nor the characters were fleshed out as they had and the ending really seems cut on its treads. They should have made another dozen episodes at least.

    chris
    Reply

  38. Nothing like watching anime in this day and age, they all beat around the bush, very coy and naive, they all blush, and you have fake suspense because characters will not simply talk to each other, and fan service is for 10 year olds who dont know better.If this is a reflection on japanese society how do they ever get anything accomplished and dont simply crumble into the abyss!!!!

    Asashii
    Reply

  39. Just finished this anime today. Quite a satisfying closure for the anime although some parts throughout the anime can be improved but the BETA seems to play the comedy stage for me. The harem is quite interesting and not too overboard. Seems like another season packed full with BETA fighting and seriousness will make some good…overall, a 7/10 for me as non-VN reader if people don’t mind the more time used for exposition while sacrificing a bit of time for BETA.

    fishell
    Reply

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