ALDNOAH.ZERO / First Impressions

OP1.02 Sequence

 

「地球の一番長い日 -Beyond the Horizon-」 (Chikyū no Ichiban Nagai Hi -Beyond the Horizon-)
“The Longest Day on Earth -Beyond the Horizon-“

So turns out Aldnoah.Zero is a mecha series after all…

Another very strong episode of Aldnoah.Zero this week, albeit one that felt a lot more conventional than the premiere did. We’re still in the part of the story (the first three episodes) that Gen Urobuchi says he personally supervised, but for the most part this was tried and true mecha canon that didn’t especially bear any outstanding features that would identify it as a personal work. Rather, it was just a well-executed thrill ride that didn’t mess around with subtlety and went straight for the gut. It should also be pointed out that the success of this episode is driven to an unusual degree by the relentlessly urgent soundtrack by Sawano Hiroyuki, who always seems to be more than up to the task.

What’s the deal with M.C. Inaho and his stone-faced lack of emotion? If you were hoping for an answer you didn’t get it this week, though you certainly received ample evidence that he’s a hard nut to crack. I do hope there’s a better explanation forthcoming than his simply being that way by nature, because it’s pretty unnatural – but in point of fact, the students as depicted here seemed quite cavalier about things, considering just how messed up the situation was.

And messed up it certainly was – if there was a dominant theme here, it was “Earth is seriously fucked”. Basically we got 22 minutes of testimonial to the fact that the Terrans are hopelessly outmatched and overpowered, even if they’ve convinced themselves that their 15 years of preparation meant anything. The Martian menace is personified in Trillram (Sakurai Takahiro at his most ridiculously campy), one of Cruhteo’s lieutenants who’s put in charge of securing things on the ground and “investigating” the death of Asseylum. Frankly if Gen is behind this it isn’t his best work – I’ve never been fond of these sorts of overplayed villains who mug for the camera and delight in toying with the enemy just so we know how evil they are. If Trillram had a moustache I’m pretty sure he would have twirled it.

No, there’s no doubting who the white and black hats are here, at least so far – the Martian humans are a wicked bunch. I’m still not clear on how the timing of all this works out – how exactly did this civilization establish itself, spawn another generation and eternal enmity with Terran scum, and attack Earth within less than three decades of the Apollo mission that discovered the artifact? In any event, we do get our confirmation that Asseylum is alive and that her assassination was the work of Martian undercover agents – agents that Trillram wipes out to avoid any risk that they’ll spill embarrassing information later. One “rat” escapes, however – Rayet (Misawa Sachika) the daughter of the man in charge of the assassination mission. She’s rescued by Yuki, the last functional member of the mobile suit platoon that’s been sent to intercept Trillram and nearly wiped out, and handed over to the transport carrying her brother and his friends for safe keeping.

Lots of questions remain about all this, not least of which whether Yuki survived (it’s not clear to me one way or the other) and whether Asseylum’s survival was part of the original Martian plot. It seems to me that she survived by pure chance (illness, supposedly) – she was truly expected by the Martians to be part of that motorcade. One way or another she’s now teamed up with Inaho (who she encountered by chance in the nearly-deserted streets) and friends, and her existence is certainly a potential problem for the invading Martians. And they could use a few problems, because right now things are way, way too easy for them.

After seeing his friend Okisuke (Yamaya Yoshitaka – what tragedy to have Kaori and Yuuki reunited and then ripped apart so quickly) killed before his eyes and still not reacting, it seems pretty clear than something is broken inside Inaho. But he’s certainly capable of outrage at the very least, and seems destined to step into a crucial role as part of a ragtag Terran resistance force (Lt. Marito has definitely survived and will be a key player, too). It doesn’t get much more boilerplate than a bunch of students gathering together to fight off alien invaders, but we’ll see where Gen and Takayama plan to steer Aldnoah.Zero in this minefield of potential cliche – it’s clear there are very talented people behind this series at all levels. Right now things are way more cut-and-dried than I expect from an Urobutcher series, but it’s early yet – hopefully there’s some moral ambiguity on the way to spice things up.

 

Zephyr’s Impressions: (a.k.a. I tried to keep it short and failed)

You gotta love it when they start an episode off with the words “The enemy strategy is simple! We’ve been planning for this for 15 years!” then they find out that they totally underestimated their opponents. It was to be expected for the most part—just like the war which both sides seemed to want—but it doesn’t change the fact that the Martian Landing Castles and Kataphrakts are quite something, as are their tactics. Communications is everything on a battlefield such as this, and seeing how each city was systematically isolated, then demolished by just one Kataphrakt each was amazing to watch. It’s quite clear which of the sides planned this out better—in fact, it’s confirmed that some members of Vers plotted the start of this war themselves—and it looks pretty grim for our protagonists at this time.

At least, it looks that way for everyone except Inaho, who clearly has some issues of some sort. He doesn’t evacuate when told to (instead opting to eat his discounted eggs), doesn’t react despite losing a friend right in front of him, and calculates with cold-hearted efficiency the tactics necessary for them to survive. It’s almost as if he resigned himself to this happening a long time ago, and well, it’s only fitting that he ends up having that fated meeting with the Princess of Vers, who is alive as expected.

All things considered, there’s a lot of factors in play at this point as a result, and it looks like much of the series will likely focus on first fighting off the threat they’re (Inaho and Co.) facing now, them realizing that they have the Princess in their grasp, and reuniting said Princess with Count Cruhteo. Seeing how some (or perhaps most?) factions don’t seem to know one of their own was behind this, it’s quite possible the salvation of Earth lies within the Martians themselves, and it’ll be interesting to see how things develop toward this end. Or alternatively, is it going to be Inaho who ends up defeating the Kataphrakts and saving Earth himself? It sounds like a stretch… but when you think about how the Kataphrakt stopped pursuing them upon entering the tunnel and factor in his tactical abilities, it’s quite possible he’s already found a way past their “phase shields” (at least, they seem to be such shields), which would make the next episode an impressive one to see.

Overall, it’s a great start and Sawano Hiroyuki continues to deliver with a godly soundtrack to boot. The full OP sequence and the ED only serve to complement what looks to be an epic experience, and in ways, it could be said ALDNOAH.ZERO’s an amalgamation of quite a few shows (Code Geass being one of them). It remains to be seen whether it’ll end up being a great combination when it’s all said and done, but just like those awesome jump units attached to the Earth mechs, I sure hope this series ends up taking flight and fulfilling the potential it’s just dripping with…

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「A/Z」 by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:mizuki

212 Comments

  1. hmm, seems like this particular episode had a few one dimensional character types too many. first, we have the Martian Knight being a sadistic asshole, laughing, being smug, and taking joy in killing the “Terrans”, just makes him a flat character, so of course you want to hate him, but it’s not very deep (see also Joffrey GoT). and the other Knights seem this way too, like the one who smacked Slaine the previous episode. Only the Princess, who is alive (of course! and her own people plotted so they can go to war!), seems to be the only likable Martian. I wish they were more developed into complex characters who weren’t flat out despicable, though we’ll see in future episodes if that changes cause I’d like to see some more varied Martian characters who aren’t douchebags.

    then we have the the commander of the mech squadron the Lt. alcoholic is on, who thinks he’s a fraud, so he doesn’t trust him even if his information seems pretty solid. fine, think he’s a fraud, but in a battle situation when he’s relaying possibly pertinent information that’s pretty confirmable (not to mention standard battle strategies – jamming communications) just makes him seem incompetent and idiotic. it too is a tiresome trope. though he was right that he shouldn’t have been giving orders, but since he too was of the douchebag variety, I couldn’t have cared less, since of course the alcoholic is right, and the d-bag commander is going to be cannon fodder.

    all in all, it’s pretty exploitative writing, as I wasn’t sad to see that incompetent commander get killed, or will I care when the Knight does too. Was really looking forward to this episode to see if it could follow up strongly on the premiere. I hope it doesn’t extend past this episode.

    a box like hippo
    Reply

    1. Having rewatched this with some friends, all of the Martian dialogue and behavior seems really weird and out of place. Maybe it’s a translation problem, but the word choices used seem silly in context. The Martians have been independent for about 30 years. It doesn’t make much sense for them to say things like “now our generations-long plan to claim Earth can start after these 15 years”, “if we go back far enough, we’re descended from Earth humans”, or “time to return to our long-lost home”. Their “generations-long plan” is what, 2, maybe 3 generations long? The speakers even acknowledge their “generations-long plan” started 15 years ago. Some of those counts are probably from Earth. The whole “if we go back far enough…” speech in the first episode feels so weird, since “going back far enough” is 30 years. Given that they declared independence in the 1980s, all their talk of being a new race and plans to conquer Earth simply don’t make sense. I can get that they’re highly advanced in comparison and are arrogant, but that kind of arrogance seems out of place.

      Maybe it’s bad writing. Personally, I think the Princess’s little chat in the first episode with her servant and the assassin’s reaction to Trillram’s mech’s power-up are interesting. The servant said that the Martians became a new race when the Emperor gained the authority of Aldnoah, and that the princess “embodies the power of the gods”. The assassins practically gazed at the light beams with religious fanaticism right before they were killed. Yeah, I can understand that propaganda had a role to play, but the entire things feels out of place, like many noted. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Martian colonists found some kind of ancient parasite that took them over similar to the Terran’s plan from Final Fantasy IX. Perhaps the translation I read was bad, but the word choices made by the Martians implies that they found something on Mars that changed them in some way, because otherwise their lines don’t make sense.

      anon234
      Reply

      1. Same here, and my younger brother has Asperger’s Syndrome, which is mild autism. Watching Inaho’s detachment and difficulty with conversation reminded me of my brother. The scene where he’s talking to his sister after the attack is exactly the kind of thing my brother would do. “I thought the plan was to escape in your car.” “Why didn’t you evacuate with the others.” “Oh, I could’ve done that.” His thinking was that he was supposed to go home and wait for her, and didn’t consider anything else because that’s what she told him to do, and he called her to see where she was. That entire conversation reminded me of my parents yelling at my brother because he was home all day and didn’t put away the clean dishes. “Why didn’t you put the dishes away?” “Because you didn’t tell me to.” It comes across as lazy at first, but the real problem is the lack of social awareness on what someone is expected to do or say.

        The scene in the first episode where he tells the others of the missiles along with the scene here when he tells Inko to hit the brakes are, based on my personal experience, good examples of someone with a functional social disorder. He sees the missiles, but waits until the others have stopped talking to say anything about them, while a normal person would yell out. He probably doesn’t “get” what the appropriate response would be, so he just nonchalantly mentions the missile out of context with the conversation. Most of us probably would’ve interrupted the conversation or at least pointed at the missile so the other people are aware of the situation. Likewise with his idea to get rid of weight on the truck. He just said “hit the brake. hit the brake now. hit the brake.” with no explanation. He knows what to do, but doesn’t seem to know how to say it. If he had said something like “anything the cataphract touches disappears, so slow down and let it touch the KG7.” then no one would have complained about it.

        It could be something else, and I hope it’s explained a bit, because if you’re not familiar with or had experience with someone with mild autism it’s easy to not like the guy and call him a stoic cold-hearted jerk. Maybe he really is just bland and stoic, but hopefully at some point it’s explained, because it’s clear that something is off about the guy.

        Oh, and about his non-reaction to seeing his friend get annihilated, I can easily see that as him going into shock and shutting himself down mentally. But if he is autistic, his reaction or lack-of makes sense given his other behavior.

        anon234
        Reply

      2. Seeing how much Gen tends to invest into details, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was actually going for that. Thanks to the pointing out of anon234, I feel like I can relate with Inaho all the more now. ^_^;

        JHN
        Reply

  4. I find it a bit amusing that people are complaining about the MC in Argvollen as being too rash / emotional, while also complaining that the MC in Aldnoah is too calm / emotionless.

    paulrenzo
    Reply

    2. It just shows the types of boats that are currently sailing out there.
      Those that like the MC in Aldnoah probably do not like the MC in Argvollen ~I’m on this boat~ and vice versa.

      Hagiri
      Reply

    5. That’s because the two are at the very extremes of showing emotion. One too hot-headed, the other, practically emotionless. It would really be nice to just to get a happy medium.

      Irenesharda
      Reply

      1. wouldn’t the other extreme be like shu from guilty crown or shinji from eva. speaking of gc, lets hope they don’t waste sawano’s music this time, kalafina + sawano = godlike

        Zeo
        Reply

      2. Pretty sure the orange version is just the trainer, I thought we saw the kids using them in class in the first episode. I’d have to double-check to be sure though.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

      3. Actually, those things are even weaker than the Earth mechs they had this episode. The orange ones the kids use are the KG-6 Slepinir, the ones the army was using this episode were the KG-7 Areion. The Areion is the very latest mass-produced model that the Earth Forces have. Unless Inaho has some Lelouch/L-elf level tactics and a giant amount of luck, those orange mechs are going to be scrap metal.

        Irenesharda
        Reply

    2. I agree with this, I actually like the idea of them sticking with the mass-produced mechs at least until halfway. That said, at this point the enemy seems so ludicrously overpowered that I’m not sure how they COULD fight them without some form of super prototype.

      Unless maybe we find out the princess has some way to neutralize the ‘light of aldnoah’ so they can actually fight mech to mech.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

  7. Inaho did react to Okisuke dying, his inability to express emotion better have a good reason though.

    The designs for the Terran mecha and flight suits were great, that air bag is a great idea.

    Longhaul
    Reply

    1. Yeah, but it’s not much of a reaction. There was a brief face flinch, but the way I saw it, it’s like his thought process was more of like “oh, dang, he’s going to die”… “oh well.”

      There’s just something about him (and to an extent the others around him) that’s a bit odd.

      Zephyr
      Reply

      1. I guess I can understand this fictional character a little. If I were in the same situation, I would probably react the same way. He might be one of those pragmatic people just like I am in real life. Saying this about myself is awkward, but hear me out will you?

        Let’s just say he perceives everything else around him as information. If that is the case, then he sees death and life as nothing but natural. If he can’t help his friend, then logic dictates that there is nothing else left to do. Logic tells him that even if he shouts angrily, tries to jump off to grab his friend or mindlessly attack the Martian robot will lead to no positive result at all. Does he feel emotion? Yes, but not necessarily as much as others. If I were to find another character to compare him with, it would be Tatsuya from Mahouka.

        Now, is it possible for humans in real life to be this odd? Yes, people can be very apathetic. However, apathetic people would still have more of a reaction than Inaho would. The lack of real attachment to the reality around him could be explained by childhood experiences or just how his brain functions.

        Let’s say you like Ice Cream, and I don’t. No matter how many times you tell me it tastes good, I will still be unable to comprehend your apparent favor towards this particular food. This is the same phenomenon happening right now. The audience does not understand Inaho because they have never been as emotionless as him before. Therefore, it could also be argued that there is nothing wrong with him, but the fact points to us being unable to accept him as being different from us. It’s like being unable to explain why you like/dislike a certain food on a scientific level (why would anyone like bitter food?), well at least not currently.

        I do not remember whether his parents were mentioned or not, but isolation plays a huge part in developing a practical and stoic personality like his. If he was stuck having nothing much to do while his sister goes to work most of the time, he would probably think more about the world and the laws that dictates it.

        When a person is left with nothing but logic (like I was), he/she would begin wondering about how the world functions by itself. It would heighten one’s ability to analyze the situation by critical thinking, and increase understanding of psychology and philosophy.

        We have heard next to nothing about his past. Due to mistrust by my “friends” and people placing outrageous blames on me when I was actually not even involved in my childhood led to my understanding of psychology and how to manipulate people. Even today, I prefer to be alone because people around me – be it children or adults – act childish. Anger over the most trivial of things, blatant hubris displayed in public and desire for others to conform to their own ideals.

        I can’t help it when logic dictates my life. My “friends” treat me the same as the audience treats Inaho, a pretty unsociable and apathetic person who does not treat others with kindness. As I have said, while I haven’t read up psychology on a scientific level, I can understand the fundamental logic behind it and therefore understand why people treat me this way. However, it’s precisely because I understand how to make people feel more accepting towards me, that I do not want to do it. It would be the same as “pretending” to be someone you are not.

        Now, I hope I have shed some light on why this character might be so emotionless. Also, as some of you have noticed, he does feel emotions but not show it with his facial expression as much as his actions. Obviously, I would want to fight back if my friend was killed, but I wouldn’t be so shocked and panic. It’s precisely because my and everyone’s life is on the line, that it takes for a calm person to handle the situation properly. Emotional people tend to be afraid of pulling the trigger, but logical people know that it’s either “you die or I die”. There is no two way about it.

        Also, I believe he waited at home because he cares about his sister. Inaho probably knew about the situation, but wanted to evacuate with his sister rather than going off by himself. Emotion is a sign of weakness, but depending on logic alone is also dangerous. Time will tell how this character will develop, but I am sure that he is one who is willing to fight and kill without hesitation if it meant protecting the lives of those he care about.

        Hater
        Reply

    2. Yeah, he does react in his own way. And he’s clearly got an issue, especially since they go to the trouble of pointing out that his big sister has been trying to teach him to make normal decisions. This kid is not okay.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

    3. I read a theory that he’s a time traveler who’s seen this all before and that’s why he isn’t surprised by anything.
      Well it wouldn’t be the first time this has happened lol

      XSharkNinja
      Reply

  8. I have a feeling that Inaho experienced something like what Mikasa from Shingeki no Kyojin experienced. He also reminds me of ‎Shiba Tatsuya from Mahousei – I’m one of the rare few who find the anime adaptation thoroughly enjoyable cause I love technobabble more than drama haha…

    Anyhow, ‘cold’ eyes, emotional numbing, mild dissociation (sorry, Psych major here)…this Inako has had an intense experience and maybe intense fury against the VERS.

    The inexistence of parents in his household is also quite telling to me; he might have been one of the victims of the orbital drop 15 years ago. The sister might infodump us about it later though.

    It’ll be nice if Urobuchi-sensei made Inako as calm as still water for the 1st 10 or so episodes, kill the sister, then make him implode without having a change in facial expression. If he has had PTSD, why would his dissociative nature change…it would become worse haha!

    Ace Maxwell
    Reply

  9. I’m kind of curious if the Counts knew that the princess was replaced by a double or did they truly intend to make her a martyr so that they could initiate a war (I’m conflicted over this since it looked like Count Cruhteo actually regretted not trying to stop the princess to go to Earth but one of people under his leadership knows about the conspiracy)

    Additionally, I have to say, I enjoyed seeing the one-sided clash, since we got to see a peek at how advanced the Martians are, and it looks like Inaho and the others will have to rely on wits to find a way to cripple the Martian forces.

    random thought: In the opening, the princess is holding a gun just before the sequence ends; I’m now curious and nervous if she is ever resorted to kill anyone and when that happens, who’s going to shoot?

    Dualash
    Reply

    1. I was wondering about that in the opening as well. Perhaps our princess is not as innocent as she seems. For instance I doubt very much that she really did have gravity sickness otherwise she would still be in the embassy rather than hiding under a bridge.

      IMHO she knew the attempt on her life would happen. That would suggest that she knew war would break out and is wanting to use it in some way.

      Scruffy
      Reply

      1. I semi-doubt this. I do think there’s more to her than meets the eye, but I don’t think the answer is that she’s manipulating the war and is some sort of cold-hearted schemer.

        She’s definitely more capable than she lets on though given how she reacted to Inaho.

        As for the counts, I’m inclined to believe that Cruhteo didn’t know. Given that it’s already been explained that the different landing castles are basically totally separate armies I think that was put together by someone else. The scene between Cruhteo and Trillram is too weird if Cruhteo was in on it. Sure, they could be play-acting, but it would be a bit much and unnecessary to go that far. Cruhteo could have just ordered Trillram to go to SHinowara as his commander. The whole suggesting then volunteering serves no real purpose unless Cruhteo doesn’t know.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

    2. Considering that some of the Counts didn’t seem to know it was someone on their end that started this, I would think some of them (if not all of them) didn’t know the Princess ended up replacing herself with a double. The way the Princess acted earlier made her seem like someone who’d never employ one and the fact that the guy acting under the Count felt the need to eliminate the Terran conspirators only adds to this notion. There’s also a clear measure of isolation between each Count, so I doubt anyone has the full picture on anything really.

      That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if our Princess was full aware of the consequences of her actions. I wouldn’t say she made up the gravity sickness, but I’d like to think she wasn’t naive enough to believe she wouldn’t be targeted despite a seemingly sheltered upbringing.

      Zephyr
      Reply

      1. I’m almost sure, that Cruhteo didn’t know anything about the plot to assassinate the princess, but I’m almost just as sure that Saazbaum did, since he was the one to “subtly” suggest that the Princess’ death would benefit them. Also, the assassins expected to be knighted on their return after their work. This makes me think that there are more high level nobles in on this then we think, Trillram is a low level knight and a freeloader, not the type to actually plan and put into motion an assassination mission. I’m almost sure he’s working for or with somebody else.

        Irenesharda
        Reply

  11. If that phase shield is able to disintegrate everything that comes into contact with it, won’t that huge as mech disintegrate the ground and fall? The legs/feet are probably not protected, that’s where the MC is most likely going to target.

    Mixed Milkshake
    Reply

    1. Actually I’m curious about that; is the armor with the shielding able to disintegrate matter or does it just phase through objects like when one of the characters charged at it with a knife but he went through the mecha and onto the other side.

      Dualash
      Reply

      1. From my perspective, it looks like the ‘phase’ shield doesn’t so much as phase through objects as to destroy them outright. The mech’s arm and knife seemed to disappear to leave a one-armed mech when the LT. was fighting against the Kataphrakt.

        Entirely my speculation: VERS ‘phase’ technology changes the oscillation of particles either by 2 ways; one is to increase the latent heat of matter such that solids instantly sublimate to gas (dry ice => CO2), or they input so much energy that by the principle of Entropy any matter decomposes into fundamental particles (i.e. disruption of gluons itself).

        THe 2nd is more God-like…but both of which are scary as hell.

        And yes. The leg should not be affected otherwise the Kataphrakt would bore through the Earth.

        Ace Maxwell
        Reply

      2. Yes, the Legs must have no Phase shield or he would fall through the ground. But then, why he stopped when the truck gone into a Tunnel? Perhaps his Phase shield has limits how big it can be.

        But i think they go for the legs, perhaps some Pits to slow him down.. But it all is for vain, if this Mecha also can fly…

        Germanguy
        Reply

      3. I remember (completely stock villain) Trillram say that he “shouldn’t have played around so much” before he stopped by the tunnel. I think this means his Kataphract has a time limit on his phase shields.

        ShootPointBlank
        Reply

      4. the pilot said he didn’t want to waste more time on toying with the students, so stopped the chasing.

        in additional to the unprotected feet, visible light can pass through the shield, so laser weapons may work too.

        *Edited for you. Only Authors can edit.

        os
        Reply

      5. @os

        In that case, we may see lots of beam spam. On the other hand, it seems like laser tech is still in the experimental stage; maybe we Terrans only have the technology of 2014-2015. Lasers not yet viably mass-produced due to powerplant requirements mayhaps? Or that we still can’t solve the issue of atmospheric ‘blooming’ and beam cohesiveness? Otherwise, I’d arm our G.I. Kataphrakts with laser weapons as standard-issue armaments.

        I look forward to see how they will take down these VERS Kataphrakts with kinetic weapons and conventional explosives. I’m sure Urobuchi won’t have to resort to exotic quantum principles that Terrans have not as yet mastered to take the VERS down.

        Ace Maxwell
        Reply

      6. @Ace

        Ground moved Mars Mecha, possibility to get buried in a Pit. But you must take care that they can not climb/jump out or dug himself out of there with their phase shields like a mole

        Flight Mars Mechas is other thing, i dont know a counter for it now. i need to see an actually fight to get an inspiration. perhaps lure them on ground levels?

        the greatest thread are Hybrids, ground and airborne Mechas.. you cannot lure them in a Pit, they just fly. and if in the air it get dangerous, they just land.

        Germanguy
        Reply

      7. @Germanguy

        Is it possible that the VERS Kataphrakts each have unique abilities? Reflects the idea of heraldry & lineage in the age of feudal knights + the VERS Royal family; each 37 different family/dynasty with their own style of fighting.

        We’ve seen one with the ‘phase’ shield, one with the lightning generator, one with a beam gun, one with a beam-based cutting weapon, and one with a glowing energy whip.

        If that’s the case, then taking each down is a matter of finding different weaknesses I suppose?

        Ace Maxwell
        Reply

      8. i just analyze what i see, and i try to see it trough the eyes of the Earth Defense.

        Do they have this intel of these houses? And right now, they are isolated. So for now, let us take care of this Mechas in front of us. Also in Tokyo this one with Phase shield

        Only one step at a time

        Germanguy
        Reply

      9. to counter the Lightning… Use Nature Laws..

        Lightning rods, or Faraday cage Mecha inventions. And Lightning is fearless…

        But, as i said. This Intels are cut down, because the Mars peoples cut the Information Networks. So they are own their own now, until they can repair it

        Germanguy
        Reply

      10. Talking about pits, wouldn’t just toppling the damn thing somehow work? I mean, that shield will do the rest, wouldn’t it. Then the pilot will prolly have to stop the field for some time. Which would give our guys a small window to try something.

        Swarz
        Reply

      11. @swarz

        Will you bet on it, that his Phase shields end on his Hip, or knee?

        You dont know, if his entire legs are not covered with shields, too. The risk of losing Members to try it out is high. not recommended. Only in despair

        It is saver to assume, that right under his feet. There is no shields. So Mines or Parking him some Meters deeper, is saver. And you not risking any life. You can watch from far away

        Germanguy
        Reply

    2. We’ve seen one with the ‘phase’ shield, one with the lightning generator, one with a beam gun, one with a beam-based cutting weapon, and one with a glowing energy whip.

      If that’s the case, then taking each down is a matter of finding different weaknesses I suppose?
      You know, that sounds like the general recipe for a Megaman game…

      Techim
      Reply

  12. I really hope there is some silver lining or trick in the later episodes that there is a reason for over the top villain archetype. Never been too fond of that trope. Especially after having to finish watching Fate Zero just before, that was such a contrast, I couldn’t enjoy it as much. On the other hand, the emotionally detached protagonist didn’t bother me, it was not the first time Gen Urobuchi wrote such characters. Since this is his work, I hope it lives up to the hype before the season premiere.

    Soliloquy
    Reply

    1. yeah, not sure why it bothers everyone so much. maybe he’s a psychopath, as being unable to display normal emotional reactions can be a signifier, though I’m thinking it’s more of like what everyone has said about him being similar to Mikasa.

      a box like hippo
      Reply

  13. I personally think that girl the main character met is the princess. Seems much more convenient that way and she was taking a lot of initiative which would seem much more befitting someone of power and responsibility. Not to mention that maid girl was following her around.

    As for the emotionless protagonist, why do I get the feeling that him and that Terran servant are related somehow? Maybe lost brother’s perhaps? They have a similar look in their eyes.

    Goodwill Wright
    Reply

      2. @Swarz – Let’s try not to use these kind of replies please. The point here is to encourage discussion, not to put in semi-sarcastic remarks that don’t end up with much bearing to the initial topic bought up.

        Zephyr
        Reply

  14. Going down the road of Inaho coming across an overpowered mech and completely wrecking the Vers forces would be a horrid path to what’s proven thus far to be a well done mecha anime. I’m liking the possibilities that Inaho’s stoic(?) and impossible to decipher personality might offer in the strategic sense when he and his company finally reengage the Kataphrakts and then I’m also very much interested in Slaine and what he could potentially offer as someone who’s finding it difficult to cope with both the loss of his princess and the ongoing annihilation.

    Index
    Reply

  15. Speculation on my part but I’m inclined to believe that the real princess is actually dead and it’s the body double we’re seeing here. If you watch the scene where the MC meets the princess, you can’t help but get the feeling that the body double is trying to take the princess’ place and attempt to stop the war together with the attendant. The way they spoke their lines in that scene hints at that. And it’s hard to believe that the princess could pull that kind of combat maneuver on the MC (unless she learned that from Slaine).

    trigger-happy
    Reply

    1. That could be use, from the “traitors” if the Princess want to make a appearance into the Public to stop all this. No the traitors want her dead, to keep their secret

      Germanguy
      Reply

    3. a double who doesn’t take princess place in the parade can’t be called double, no? and if she is really the double, then our protagonists having bad luck for draw a bad card (i doubt she can be of any use to turn the table if she is fake)

      Galih
      Reply

    4. It’s possible I guess, but the maid seemed to naturally gravitate to her as if she was the real Princess, which I’m guessing she wouldn’t do with the double. She could be acting, but this seems to be more of an instinct with her.

      Irenesharda
      Reply

  16. Im loving the designs on the Kataphrakts, as each looks and feels wholly unique and different, especially when compared to the terrens standard mass produced mechs. But if there is one thing I was simply amazed by, it was the clouds during the aerial battle. I can’t remember ever seeing clouds look that good and animated so well.

    Stripes
    Reply

  17. So turns out Aldnoah.Zero is a mecha series after all…

    That’s great for me. As a mecha fan, I always wanted to know how a mecha series with the Urobuchi touch would look like (Gargantia doesn’t really count). Closest I can think of is Muv-Luv without the optimism.

    I’m not sure what to think of Inaho last episode, but here I’d think its best to compare him to a Star Trek Vulcan: Capable of emotion but unable to express it. He doesn’t seem to show emotion, but the death of his friend seems to have affected him, at least to the point that he is ready to fight back. He at least is capable of risking his life to try save others so that indicates he values his friends and family.

    So anyone want to take bets on who dies next episode? I’m going to say all of his classmates on the grounds that they are the least plot relevant characters.

    fragb85
    Reply

    1. I think there won’t be much death in this series. I’m not counting nameless soldiers and civilians obviously. Why kill a character when you can keep them alive in despair and little hope for a better future?

      SherrisLok
      Reply

    2. Speaking of Muv-Luv, I’ve noticed that their guns are similiar to the Type-87 Assault Cannon (the standard issue gun for the Japanese TSF in Muv Luv). Coincidence?

      Ginobi47
      Reply

  18. I’m assuming the writers got what they intended out of Inaho’s reaction to his friend’s death. I was absolutely stunned by how much of a damn he didn’t give about what happened.
    I’m assuming that this’ll end up a two cour show (even if I’m only hearing of one so far) so I’m intrigued as to how they’ll explain exactly why he’s so detached.
    Yeah…that Lt is 1D, but it helped set the mood. Chances are a LOT of these martians are pretty easy to figure out considering they’ve made it evident that they have 0 interest in caring or understanding terrans. What matters is the bits of multi dimensional characters sprinkled throughout the vers people. That’ll make the difference.

    Kabble
    Reply

  19. Hot damn, dat soundtrack 0_0

    I was kinda half-kidding when I said this was likely gonna be a massacre instead of a war, but wow. I didn’t expect it to be THIS one-sided. Have they even shown ONE Martian casualty? If this was all the fight Earth could muster for 15 years, looks like we actually need 150 years.

    I was also kinda dissing Inaho for being such an expressionless lead, but jfc, this kid must have liquid nitrogen for blood. At this point, I’m half-convinved he’s a total sociopath. Which I think shows AldnoahZero’s opinion on warfare survival: devil’s luck and utter dispassion.

    ShootPointBlank
    Reply

  20. I think Inaho is about to turn into Kira like…he even had the nerves to test out the Martian Kataphrakt’s shield in dire times…That aside, this show is simply awesome…soundtrack,plot,art and the ED is outstanding as well:D Just cant find any flaw in it…i can’t wait till next week><!!!

    Celestine
    Reply

  21. Love dat ED so much. I’m also expecting a love triangle here. Damn, this show has lots of potential and I expect a lot from it. At least, this show ain’t like Valvrave.

    Red HeartGold ZX
    Reply

  24. My bet is, that our MC has a Autism, in that form that he is fearless. That would give him a bonus in the upcoming battle. David against Goliath, where David is fearless…

    My bet will be, they lure him into a Big Pit, and he cannot get out of there, because he can not jump or fly. and his phase shield energy is depleted. So, they need only to bury him with his mecha

    Germanguy
    Reply

    1. I was wondering if I was the only one thinking that. If he was simply “cold” then he wouldn’t have gone back to his house and then rung is sister to ask whether she wanted breakfast, or whatever reason he was ringing her for.

      And while he didn’t react emotionally to his friends death, at the same time he suddenly lied about what the guy said (he didn’t say anything about a decoy) and decided to fight back against the invaders.

      moridn84
      Reply

    2. Oh no, this show is going the way of Guilty Crown isn’t it? Both MC’s have autism and will likely get some sort of power from the heroine. Omg the signs are all there o.o

      plushkin
      Reply

      2. The joke online was that Shu had Asperger’s, which explained all the stupid crap that came out of his mouth. It was a joke obviously, but when I think back to how he talked down to the wheelchair girl he just met for the first time like she’s freakin’ 5 years old, I think any accusations cast upon his mental health was justified =P

        plushkin
        Reply

  26. Now THIS is how you make a Mecha anime!

    Dont give the protagonist a super overpowered mecha at the very get go. Let him use his brain to fight an almost hopeless situation. The entire gundam franchise should learn a thing or two from Aldnoah!

    Ginobi47
    Reply

  27. Dammit, what’s up with the massacre?

    This is like high-level Super Robots against bunch of low-level Real Robots.

    I hope those Martian SR also has SR weakness : High Energy Requirements. It certainly indicated so.

    Kerfirou
    Reply

  28. That was no war…it was an extermination
    But seriously those martians getting on their high horses over tech they didn’t create per se. I hope the actual owners will pop up eventually.

    Satyr
    Reply

  29. I’m liking the show so far, but the only thing bugging me is the uber-stoic main character. I’m glad we don’t have another Shinji Ikari on our hands, but a little bit of human reaction beyond a sweatdrop would be appreciated; ESPECIALLY when even people in the military (like Marito) are scared.
    You know, just so that they stop raping my suspension of disbelief.

    lorenzo
    Reply

  30. The Terran governments had 15 years to prepare and yet they still used conventional weapons. They could’ve at least developed energy based weaponry or anti-comet defense technology that would rip those uh- space castles apart while entering earths atmosphere, then again this is the current plot.

    I may have just found a weakness on that seemingly invincible martian mecha -Kataphrakts- piloted by Cruhteo’s lieutenant ‘Trillram’, a literal Achilles heel.
    The shield protecting its body disintegrates anything physical it comes in contact with which makes it seem like it goes through solid matter like it was air, but that shield does not seem to extend to its feet, it could either be a different setting for the shield or no shield at all otherwise the Kataphrakts would just pass through the earth and plunge straight to its core -I remember a StarGate episode in which a somewhat similar ability was pointed out-. So I’m guessing that as long as the Kataphrakts are on the ground the terrans have a higher chance of defeating it by targeting the soles of their feet with mines or and stuff if my theory on their weakness is right.

    Hagiri
    Reply

    1. Frankly, the tech level of the show makes no sense. And that’s actually one of the things I really don’t like (still enjoying the show though, don’t misunderstand). What IS the Earth’s tech level? We apparently are still using normal modern F-22s or F-35s, and yet we’ve got mass-produced bipedal robots. Yet they just use conventional weapons as well.

      If our tech is otherwise identical, then where the heck did the robots come from? And if we’re advanced enough to build robots, then why has NOTHING else about our technology changed? They really need to explain something like the robots are based on tech found on Mars that Earth was able to reverse-engineer before VERS closed the gate and kicked them out. That would kind of explain why they happen to have this one semi-advanced piece of tech and nothing else.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

      1. Well, I’ll say there’s a clear usage of real life tech as the equivalent basis for the development of technology in that universe. Yes, the mechs are a step up from what we have, but they’re not technologically advanced in the sense that we need like energy weapons or shields to develop them. The way they are now, they’re just large, humanoid, metal constructs, so it generally does fit in the technological development of that universe. Arguably, we have the materials to make mechs of that nature now, it’s just mass-producing them and having them articulate well that would be the issue. Assuming 15 years of divergence in their timeline led them to focus on mechs over other weaponry, it’s potentially possible to resolve that issue.

        But yeah, at the same time I wouldn’t put it beyond being some kind of reverse-engineering either.

        Zephyr
        Reply

      3. I said our universe has the ability to make the general construct material wise, which is quite do-able regardless of that rule. The rule comes into play in regards to us not being able to actually use them in some proper way at the current time, but that doesn’t mean that in the fictional universe of Aldnoah there wasn’t someway they found around it.

        Zephyr
        Reply

      4. Thank you Solace.

        Yeah Zephyr, I don’t want to be rude because your answer is well-written and reasonable but no, battle mecha are not something we could build right now even if we wanted to. There’s a reason that even human-sized robots in a human shape don’t tend to work quite right, and when you increase the scale exponentially, you add in a bunch of other problems related to size and weight and so on.

        Make no mistake, even a mecha with conventional weapons is WAY more advanced than what we’re capable of right now. Lasers and energy shields are, if anything, actually easier than mecha, considering we’ve actually got the basis of those things in the works (and in some cases actually being used) already.

        That all said, I”m not sure the creators get this or care. It sort of seems like they think that Earth just saw Mars’s fancy robots and decided to make their own, and the fact that Earth robots use bullets and grenades is enough to consider them realistic. But really, it’s a huge plot hole unless they explain it. A 4 story tall robot that can fight effectively and hover/fly at will is crazy-advanced, If we could do that we would not be at the same tech level for everything else.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

      5. We can build metal action figures but why build metal action figures that aren’t milspec? Isn’t the whole point of mechs that they can move according to pilot input and not collapse from its own weight.

        Solace
        Reply

      6. @KaleRylan – Yeah, I get what you mean, but I just meant the general material and idea to construct things in that humanoid mecha shape is not impossible. It’s just that after you make it, that’s about it for it in terms of our universe. I never said it’d necessarily work at all, I just meant at least for comparisons sake part of the tech is “available.”

        As for the rest to make it actually feasible/usable, I’m just saying in the 15 years since Heaven’s Fall in the Aldnoah universe, they might’ve found something (again, perhaps what you mentioned in regards to reverse-engineering or alien tech) to help with that.

        But yeah all things considered, I don’t think they’re going to explain it in great detail here. I think the intent is to make it seem realistic more than anything else, which it arguably accomplishes eh. Cause if we went into it, then a lot of mecha series would ultimately end up falling to the “how did they circumvent the rule” bit. Lol. Then there wouldn’t be much of a point to really watch em’ at that point.

        @Solace I’m just equivocating part of the tech. Not denying that we can’t do anything with mechs in our world even if we made it. That wasn’t the point of my comment.

        Zephyr
        Reply

      7. -Zephyr: as I mentioned, my problem actually isn’t so much the mecha as the fact that it’s JUST the mecha. Whether it was reverse engineering or they just developed it or whatever, the idea that they have this tech and didn’t use it on anything else is the thing that makes no sense to me.

        If we had the technical know-how to make robots, and create powered flight at low-speeds right off the ground with no take-off speed, it would revolutionize our technology on a global scale. The idea that we just built robots and then called it good is kind of silly. I still REALLY like this show so far, but I’m ready for it to move into the actual conflict because I think there are some major questions in the setup, but I can see where they’re trying to go and I’m excited for it.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

      8. one last bit I forgot:

        I get they’re going for the David and Goliath thing, and I actually really like that, but I just think they tried a little too hard with the Mars having year 3000 tech and the Earth just being 2014 plus robots. I would’ve preferred Mars being year 3000 and Earth being like 2020 or 2050 or something. Then I could understand the robots better and the whole setting would make a bit more sense.

        But really, it doesn’t wreck the show for me, it’s just something I thought of when I saw the above comment and so I replied.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

      9. Yeah, I understand. Just felt like there were some potential explanations for it, so I wanted to put those out there.

        But I mean, at least I would like to think part of my equivocation makes sense? Lol. Cause Solace here is texting me here like my point was completely nonsensical.

        Zephyr
        Reply

  32. Inaho’s stoicism is a little unnerving, but I’m really impressed with the show thus far. Sawano doesn’t disappoint and the animation and action are great. The three characters are all likeable: Inaho’s calmness is admirable and Slaine is gloriously human. And the princess…I thought she was nothing more than a weak, peace-loving damsel in distress, but the scene with Inaho proved me wrong. That girl’s got some skills…got to feel a little bad for the double that got killed, though

    Looks like the war will begin in earnest now that Inaho and friends have decided to fight back. Inaho must have formidable intelligence and tactical skills, since the Terran mecha all seem terrible compared to the Martian ones; must be the light of Aldnoah. Definitely following A/Z.

    mitan
    Reply

  33. Great episode, while it didn’t have anything particular original in it, it was still a well executed episode show casing great mecha action and relaying how the fucked the Terrans are. Terrans are still using conventional weapons, ballistics and missiles, against god damn Martians (human) using Annihilation fields and Pulse lasers. I doubt the Terrans will be much of threat, even with Inaho brilliant displays of cold calculated decision making in face of terrifying odds. What we really have to think about what happens when Earth is conquered?

    I firmly believe Earth will be conquered, the problem is whether the Martians fight among themselves over the remaining population and resources left behind, or will the Martian endeavor to perform a planet scale genocide? I really hope for the former (enemy civil wars are always fun) but the latter is scary possibility given the series.

    Still there is still some hope, the princess isn’t dead (redheaded too! she’s certainly has the skills to wear that color hair with pride), Inaho and company are also carrying the daughter of the dead martian terrorists which means the combination of the two could convince the some of the Martians to oppose there fellow Martians.

    Still the episode should the extreme differences between the two protagonists, Inaho is heartless, Slaine is the heart. Inaho is shows the temperament of being either psychologically broken, or that of a child soldier. Slaine on the other hand, shows that he has a lot more heart then Inaho or even many other Terrans, but at the same time like Inaho I suspect he is also broken. He’s a Terran pilot (ferry pilot?) living with Martians, treated and abused like slave, and he puts on a stoic face to stop the pain.

    In the end, this series has potential (the opening scene did seem like there might be some fleet action in the future) but I’m still getting a pretty consistent guilty crown feel to this that is making me wonder whether the opening episodes are just a prelude where it just sinks. Still here’s to hope that it’ll be good 5 episodes from now.

    Echo
    Reply

  35. Slaine would be in the Suzaku role (the reluctant traitor), while his superior Trillram is voiced by Sakurai Takahiro, who voiced the Suzaku, in one of his most hilariously villanious roles.

    Inaho, who the hell are you? You’re way too genry-savvy calm. Even when seeing your classmate die before you. (Not that I’m complaining, but it’d be helpful if Urobuchi and Aoki have an explanation for this character setting. )

    OP with camera panning towards bridge has the signature of director Aoki Ei on it, very Fate/Zero-ish. And Kalafina singing just made it perfect.

    Wild, baseless speculation: OP ending with Princess aiming her gun at camera, could she be the ultimate mastermind behind this? (For whatever purpose)

    echykr
    Reply

  36. If Trillram had a moustache I’m pretty sure he would have twirled it.

    Yeah, 100%と agree.

    I think the problem that I saw with this instalment was that events were transmitted before they
    happened, so the surprise wasn’t there (for me). For example, when the girl was separated
    from the others waiting to be picked up and knighted, you knew they were goin’ die and she’d
    run / escape. And the pair on the top where one got “eaten” by the armour – yeah, totally saw
    that coming. So it lost much of the energy that the 1st episode delivered so well.

    Guess we’ll see what happens next…

    mac65
    Reply

    1. the present issue is how long will Trillram last? whatever episodes he’s in will just be plenty of mustache twirling. I don’t mind mustache twirling if done right, but he’s just such a pos that he’s not even enjoyable. I’m sure when he gets his comeuppance he’ll become completely cowardly, which is the last phase of his mustache twirling.

      may his demise come quickly and be horrible to him.

      a box like hippo
      Reply

    1. i made some thoughts about that,

      after reading a bit the background of Mars (somewhere here is the link),
      i came to this conclusion:

      The Earth are just Pawns for the Mars Empire Throne

      Why?
      Show Spoiler ▼

      Germanguy
      Reply

  38. I don’t think this is going to be a mecha anime, because I think Urobutcher is setting us up for a curve ball of sorts. I think it’s going to be more of an “asymmetrical warfare” sort of thing rather than an all-out robot-fight. (Remember, he led us by the nose and then totally pulled the rug out in Madoka, too.) A mecha fight between two unbalanced sides is boring, anyway, so he better throw us a curve ball.

    Thinking logically, if I’m an “Earthian” commander, and I see my forces unable to damage the enemy at all, I’d order a massive retreat, tell everyone to ditch their uniforms, grab weapons, blend into the crowd– disappear, let the invaders take over for a bit, and wait for further orders. Then when the Vers let down their guard (inevitably), I’d start my asymmetrical warfare– not against the machines, but against the people piloting and commanding them. (They’ll come out sometime.)

    Also, I wonder how the individual Vers would deal with long-term exposure to Earth’s gravity… Mars has only about 1/3 the gravity, so they would probably have pretty frail bodies compared to Earthers. (Think about how long-term astronauts suffer from bone density loss in microgravity, and project it out.)

    s_w
    Reply

  39. I love the music and the action, but at this point the Martians are a little too one-dimensional. The irony is that that seem to subscribe to an outdated kind of ideology about the superiority of races while holding technology that’s probably a thousand years more advanced than what Earth has.

    But that’s what I about the series as well, in that the 2nd episode most successfully shows that Earth is in a desperate, backs to the wall situation, and such scenarios usually do not disappoint in the platform of storytelling and character development (or at least I hope so for this series).

    I noticed the gripe about the lack of emotion on the MC’s part, but I don’t see that much of a problem with it. It piques my interest to see a main character that actually has little to no ‘heart’ in his reactions. Makes me wonder what happened to him, and how the hell did he know to avoid the Aldnoah’s attack. There’s apparently a lot more to him than being a ‘cold, emotionless bastard’, IMO.

    Keeping it up with the 3-episode rule, but so far it looks real promising…And DAT music.

    Owaranai
    Reply

    1. I agree completely with all of this. I think at this point the Martians themselves are very much the weak link of the show. They’re too crazy and too sociopathically one-dimensional. And when you take into account that they’ve only been a separate culture and planet for 40 years, that’s hard to believe. And really it’s not the best writing in today’s era of ‘gray’ villains.

      And I also don’t really get everyone’s issue with Inaho. It’s VERY OBVIOUSLY a plot point about his character. Even his sister’s advice tells you that. She’s not giving normal mentor advice, she’s basically telling him to not be crazy. Which means, by reversing the situation, that she knows he’s a bit crazy.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

    2. If more development and info is provided both about the Vers and their stolen tech then they aren’t likely to stay (completely) one dimensional. 40 years is not unreasonable to become a rigid society to that degree, especially considering the Vers number fewer than 1 million. Most of their population will have wanted that societal form in the first place and thus skipped the “developmental” shift any new nation experiences when breaking off from another culture. After all look how far Hitler transformed Germany in 12 years and Lenin Russia in 4, and that was with significantly more people.

      The problem is that much of the info known is not being provided by the show currently (i.e. the Aldnoah TL online) or has to be gleaned from certain scenes. We knows the Vers aren’t sociopaths as much as hypercompetitive and extremely arrogant for example; they are fighting amongst themselves as much as fighting Earth because it seems glory and honour are all that’s left to compare when you have little else to squabble over. Furthermore their entire way of life is based upon alien technology discovered on Mars; take that away and they are no different from everyone else, except potentially their mindset.

      There is a flavour to the Vers, even if it’s unlikely that their culture and beliefs will be expanded upon.

      Pancakes
      Reply

  40. That’s what happens when you got Pixis as your commander. Professional army dies and teenagers are left to save the world, again!

    In all seriousness, I think Urobuchi put those stereotyped villains with a certain purpose in mind. I’m really hoping this series will be a deconstruction of the Highschool Boy Rides a Mecha and Saves The World genre. Next episode will clarify all of this for us.

    The Atomic Dwarf
    Reply

  41. https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%20OP1.02%20-%20Large%2003.jpg

    God I love Kalafina.

    Also, kudos to the much-expected-and-still-alive princess for not being some random pushover. Fair-faced royalty that actually knows how to kick a little butt? Me likes, even if it’s only our MC’s butt at the moment. Wait, that didn’t come out quite right…

    ALSO, has the entire planet – with the exception of our MCs, of course – just been in a state of denial ever since Heaven’s Fall? Seriously, how do you prepare for an enemy you know next to nothing about? YOU CAN’T, which is why they’ve been getting their terran asses handed to them on a global scale.

    Thank goodness for the good lieutenant pointing that out during the premiere, otherwise that would’ve just irked me a lot more than it did.

    Onto the next episode!

    Let justice be done, though the heavens fall

    Ryan Ashfyre
    Reply

    1. The thing I don’t get is if the Martians are this strong, and they were already evil enough in 1999 to blow the damn moon, then how did the war back then not end in a day with Mars conquering Earth?

      Is that a plot hole, or is there actually something we don’t know yet to explain how Earth was able to not just get conquered last time?

      KaleRylan
      Reply

      2. As Zephyr mentioned, the Hypergate was stated to be the only means of fast travel between Mars and Earth. Since it was destroyed it’s not unreasonable to take an additional 15 years to build up the forces necessary to properly invade Earth. After all most sub-light propulsion gives anywhere between 6-8 months of travel time between Earth and Mars.

        Pancakes
        Reply

      3. Well, actually, Mars didn’t blow up the moon, at least not on purpose. The battle caused the moon’s hypergate to go out of control by accident and it blew up, taking out most of the moon with it. The destruction of the moon caused untold destruction on the Earth’s part, so of course they had to pull back, but according to the info on the website, during the battle, Vers’ current emperor at the time, the princess’ father, was killed. Her grandfather, the founder of the Empire, retook the throne and the princess was born all at the same time. Of course this caused a major upheaval in the Empire. Also, at the same time. The hypergate was a major supply line to the empire. With that gone and Mars cut off for the time being, of course they had to give up the fight too. Those Vers soldiers that were left, made their home in the remains of the moon, until they were able to create transportation that could take them from Mars to the Satellite belt. Of course with their advanced spacecraft, the trip from Mars to Earth now takes 3 months, according to Cruhteo.

        Irenesharda
        Reply

      4. That’s very informative. But it’s also my question. What battle? From what we were shown here how did the Martians not just waltz in, defeat Earth, and have done with it?

        How was there a violent enough battle that it blew the gate? I feel like there’s something we haven’t been told yet somewhere that’s mildly important.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

      5. I’m guessing that the Vers have been advancing their mech and weaponry since 1999, and so they are actually more powerful now than they were 15 years ago. In the timeline given us on the website, it says that the Earth was in a cold war against the Vers up until the time that the Empire declared actual war. This suggests that at that time. the Vers and the Earth were advancing at about the same rate. But then Heaven’s Fall happened and the Earth lost 50% of its population, and so, their military and weapons probably fell behind, while Mars only advanced.

        Irenesharda
        Reply

      6. Nah, the drunk lieutenant established that the martians already had this tech. It’s why he’s drunk. They may have come a bit further but one of the few things that actually HAS been explained so far is that the Martians were already powerful back then and the Earth was hiding it/ignoring it.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

      7. It was stated that after the moon blew up, the Martians lost their supply source and were forced to a cease-fire. The language wasn’t exactly that, but the mention of the Martians losing their supply source is explicitly mentioned. I wouldn’t be surprised if Earth forces blew up the moon and the Martian supply gate with it, despite the consequences in terms of destruction on Earth, because not doing so would’ve been worse. In this episode we’re probably seeing the consequences of not blowing up the moon, just 15 years later.

        anon234
        Reply

  42. Really liking this show.

    Also it’s funny how calm the military is when they see the flying death fortress that practically nuked the city it landed on, but loose their cool when the see one enemy mecha taking out a squad, lol. Definitely anime logic.

    Sherylfan
    Reply

    1. I think the reason they didn’t freak out is explained in the first few minutes. Earth forces expected the drops on the cities, and deployed their troops outside of the expected blast zones for a counter-attack. They knew it was going to happen, and planned on what to do afterward.

      In the first episode, the drunk Lt. says that the ground battle he was in was classified and covered-up. It was covered-up to the point that his commander calls him a fraud and even the carrier commander is surprised. That implies that the regulars and task force commanders had no idea what they were really going up against, which begs the question of why the Earth Government kept that information from the higher-ups in the military.

      anon234
      Reply

  43. I like this series, but really, nukes should’ve been used. Either as interception, overhead as EMP’s, or post landing. Preferably all.

    Fighters also don’t wait until they’re right on top of the enemy to shoot. They’re way too fast, and their range too good for that.

    I would also expect artillery & mortar bombardment from miles away (outside the beam range of these fortresses), especially for key cities already in range (I’m looking at you Seoul…)

    Launch those ICBMs, those longer range missles, Tomahawks, shoot fighter missles from range, have communication networks outside of satellite. There are so many birds in the air that act as communication hubs mere disruption of satellites wouldn’t be enough (even though there’s realistically wayyy too many to easily take down).

    Jamming also isn’t new tech. There are lots of ways around it, and counter-jamming is built into most detection and communication systems.

    Of course if anime depicted military competency as it really was, they wouldn’t have this level of fantasy.

    Oh I miss Sidonia already. QQ.

    Drasca
    Reply

    1. I think we can assume that the Martian tech is advanced enough to get around the counter-jamming.

      That said, I agree completely. One of the most glaring weaknesses in most mecha anime is that they treat the military as consisting of mecha and capital ships and that’s about it. They never show artillery, long-range missile attacks, air strikes, mines, or any of the many, MANY other forms of weapons and tactics that are available to modern militaries. Heck they rarely even show their mecha using the many kinds of personal weapons that are available to modern infantry. Air-burst grenades, heavy machine guns, various grenade types, and so on and so forth.

      Still, I’m enjoying the show and there’s obviously a curve coming somewhere. I’m not expecting that curve to be a sudden realization of actual military tactics, because that never happens in anime, so I’m used to it and I don’t hold it against them, but there’ll definitely be something.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

      1. I agree with everything but the first point. The jamming used is only a magic plot device rather than hard tech. I mention Sidonia because they were sooo much better at following hard science. There were communication issues, but for specific reasons (localized radiation, line of sight blocking).

        If this world’s physics applied, there’s only two ways to do so outside of destroying the source. Over power the signal, or muck up the signal. Jamming can only produce specific interference patterns (which can be countered– and in a lot of interesting ways that go far beyond the scope of this post) or generate enough EM white noise to blank out the entire spectrum. The latter of which would break their own communication too (and a lot of other things). If they go over powered on jamming, they’ll EMP burst their own gear, frying their pilots and electronics alike.

        The rest.. hell yes. There’s sooo many more tactics and options available. Our militaries aren’t stupid when it comes to destruction. They’re a lot of other flaws, but not that. They expect war, and sure as heck the modern militarized nations know how to mobilize against threats. Life would be hell dealing with all the issues that arise, but they do deal with it and fight on.

        One nice thing about Code Geass was that the world itself adapted its industry as the tech and tactics progressed. You aren’t fighting individuals, but entire nations that are flexible and organized enough to change.

        I too am enjoying and expecting a curve.

        Drasca
        Reply

      2. Oh I agree about it magic, but frankly that seems to be the whole thing with Martian tech. It is magic. And as much as I HAVE enjoyed the first two episodes of this show, I am waiting for a bit more explanation on the magic and how/where it came from and what Earth can do to fight it.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

      3. mm remember that “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”

        but the martians are not using so strange concepts:

        -lasers: been around for decades .. there been even military applications

        -Phase shields: basically destroys whatever it comes into contact .. mebe plasma bubbles? plasma can reach 150 million degrees Celsius that would surely “destroy” anything it touches!

        the only thing that seems really “magical” is the energy source!

        inanis
        Reply

      3. Leaders with people that are already dead inside the fortress impact zone

        Also the those able can control where they hit– either in space or sky before the fortresses land, after they land and over head for an EMP burst (to disable the enemy fortresses), able to evacuate their people in time.

        Assuming there’s a physical impact from the fortresses, the area is already blown to hell. The show is called Aldnoah Zero, borrowing from the Ground Zero term. Any nukes we have are far less devastating than the impact of the fortresses. I’m surprised the fortresses survived.. but anime magic overrides physics.

        Nuke the area that’s already destroyed except for enemy forces. Physical impact aside, there’s other forces that can muck up the fortresses.

        There’s a lot of ways to do it. You can also bet for sure that if Seoul Korea were invaded by a fortress, the North Koreans wouldn’t hestitate to commence artillery. Their guns are already pointed in that direction and it is readily within range, let alone other missles and naval bombardment.

        A lot of countries and cultures are not pansies. They’re willing to go scorched earth to defend their sovereignty, especially if the area is already annihilated.

        Drasca
        Reply

      5. Nukes should definitely be part of a military response. I know that we are conditioned to recoil in horror at the idea but there are certainly options to use tactical nukes which would limit the damage to a smallish area. Also if you nuke above ground you limit fallout and can have a fairly clean explosion. I would be very surprised if nukes are not attempted on at least a couple of fortresses.

        Scruffy
        Reply

      6. For those in doubt that nukes would ever be used defensively consider the Cold War. NATO planning at the time centered around preemptively nuking parts of Central Europe (specifically the north German plains) to deny important avenues of advance to Warsaw Pact troops. NATO members simply did not have the numbers to properly defend conventionally against a determined attack and were more than willing to sacrifice land for time and lives.

        With the Vers being invading small “beachheads” no state would hesitate for a second to nuke it if it meant avoiding significant losses of troops and civilians. The only reason not to would be the risk of the missiles being shot down before reaching their target, but even then we have combined ~30,000 nuclear warheads and more than enough missiles. All it takes is one.

        And there has been one “anime” that has already used nukes in such a way: the Animatrix.

        Pancakes
        Reply

      7. Actually, would nukes even work? Wouldn’t they just be “absorbed” by their matter eating shields? That mech wasn’t the only one that had them, all the castles had those shields as we could see from the bombs and bullets that were fired at them.

        Irenesharda
        Reply

      8. well.. you would be nuking the cities the castles lasnded on.. oh wait… when the castles “landed” they caused kinetic explosions comparable to nuclear weapons! so likely:

        1) everyone on the city is already dead … so no collateral damage, yay!
        2) the castle ALREADY withstood the force of a nuclear explosion, aww

        BUT if one were to use enough nuclear bombs it would likely crack the castle! ..we do have 30k of those , right? xD

        other thing to consider is the radiation: kinetic explosions got not fallout … the castle could stand the force of nuclear explosions… but can it stand all the nasty radiation from several bombs… and IF the castle can take it.. can the fleshy squishy humans inside survive it?… ill say is worth a shot.

        Nuclear Weapons are the strongest weapon we currently have (and if SciFi writes and theorist are to be believed it will still be the most powerful weapon for several decades to come) and pretty sure we just have not seen them deploy one… lets wait for it in the next chapters

        inanis
        Reply

      9. Nuke’s are not Toys. The Dirt they pull to the Air, high above… Well i try it other way around…

        You know that there is still some Background radiation? It is the Dust from the first Nuke’s testing on the surface that got pulled into the stratosphere, and slowly in years it fall down with the rain…

        So, imagine, if we begin to pollute the stratosphere with more fallout dust, we will poison generations of Human life. In bad case we must abandon Earth Surface and hide underground, to avoid the fallout

        So please, Nukes are not Toys. They are Weapons of Mass destruction, not only of area, they are also mass destructions of Time (fallout)

        Germanguy
        Reply

  45. https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%2002%20-%2036.jpg This guy is nothing like Mikasa, Tatsuya, or even Witchcraft Work’s Kagari. He’s obviously season 1 Dexter. He’s about to unleash his Dark Passenger all over those Martians.

    https://randomc.net/image/ALDNOAH%20ZERO/ALDNOAH%20ZERO%20-%20OP1.02%20-%2003.jpg In the OP the princess pulled out a gun I was like O.o. I didn’t understand why till she showed up in disguise later. I know now that she’s a badass and not a cliche damsel in distress. We need more badass princesses and females in general anyways.

    magoiichi
    Reply

    2. Man Japanese anime and games are rife with badass princess characters lately to the point where I tend to be more surprised if they are the classic damsel in distress trope instead. I think the damsel in distress princess idea is basically all but dead really. Can’t think of any recent examples but I can think of lots of spunky princesses or at least princess like characters.

      And yeah as the one other guy linked you there’s even an entire series based around the concept and another one called Princess Resurrection as well. The hime cut style on a character also basically means dangerous female as well. This one Asseleyum or however you spell it seems to struggle with the idea of using violence though as she was basically about as gentle as you can possibly be with a Judo throw, more or less warned the character by grabbing his arm first and then apologizing and basically supported him on the way down. The main character almost seemed like he was ready for it (either that or it’s just more of his usual non-reaction to things) and just accepted it as part of the situation that allows them to share dialogue while neither feels threatened.

      Kaioshin Sama
      Reply

  46. honestly, I wouldn’t necessarily say that the Martians behaved like that just to be “oho I’m so evil”. A lot of times, a character can seem 1 dimensional because they don’t get enough screen time, and when they do, the audience only sees them when they are confined within a certain mood. The Martians here have been waiting to fight for 15 years, and now that the time has finally come, of course they would be overjoyed to toy around with the terrans because they finally got what they were waiting for; especially since they have the strength to toy around with them. It’s like when there is a fight between 2 people, and one of them knows they can overpower the other guy easily. A lot of times, they tend to go overboard, while making it look like it was effortless just to showcase their strength. That kid would look like a stereotypical bully, but really, he’s just being controlled by the urge to showcase his strength, which a lot of people fall victim to (I know it’s not the best example). Add on the idea that they have been waiting for this for 15 years, then
    I personally think their behaviour is justified.

    Halper
    Reply

  48. I think I will like this show a lot depending on the explanations they give. Right now I feel it was poorly explained what these ‘Martians’ actually are. This make me suspect it was either bad writing or they just haven’t had time to explain yet. I do like this show but I am going to proceed with extreme caution. These Martians are something that needs to be explained clearly to the viewers

    Rick Anime
    Reply

  51. Am I the only one who actually kinda likes the way they are depicted? Sure, they may be douches, but the kid who got picked on in school probably thinks the same about the person who bullies them. For that reason, they may be 1-dimensional characters but I can’t exactly say that is a bad thing.

    Firstly, the way the martian are designed are kinda memorable to me, with the nonchalant expression contradicting their oppressive but sophisticated nature.

    Secondly, their one-liners were a quick way to establish a foundation for their characters in such a short amount of time. Whether the anime decides to expand on them, I am not too sure, maybe.

    Despite the martian race being a very borish race socially, they have these little perks or traits (notable in their choice of mecha) that distinguish them if even slightly.

    Overall, besides the main character, I am actually looking forward to who the martian characters are and how they will be characterized. Inversely, it may be true that they stay completely 1-dimensional and borish until the end, but we will see.

    Goodwill Wright
    Reply

  52. Splash damage people. Rockets are for feet. If the explosives get disintegrated when they touch the shields, start aiming for the ground below their feet. At the very least, it will make it harder for the robot to move around or unbalance it. I would have liked to at least had seen them try it. Bullets can’t do anything though, they are useless so don’t waste them. They’ll need them if they can take the shields down.

    Mekem
    Reply

    1. Honestly I really hope that ISN’T the tactic that ends up working. Not because it’s a bad tactic, but because it’s so simple that they should have been doing it all along. It wouldn’t make Inaho look brilliant, it would just make the professional military look stupid. But I guess they already do so there’s not much that can be done about that.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

    2. that brings up an interesting idea… if the mecha stumbles and falls face down with the shield activated…it sinks into the ground till they shut down the shield? xD would be a really funny was to stop those mechas!

      inanis
      Reply

    1. I don’t think there’s a simple answer to that right now. The show is very good. But on the flipside it does have some rather large plot holes and at this point a lot of its villains and supporting characters are kind of paint by numbers cliches.

      But there is very real potential and the show has great atmosphere.

      I guess it comes down to how much some of the plot holes and one-dimensional characters bother you. And a lot of the problems could be solved in future episodes.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

  55. OK, I thought the fighting back 15 years ago should gave the Earth forces some insight into how ridiculously OP is their enemy. Prepared my ass.
    So the Gavrilo Princip team were undercover Martian spec-ops? It’s Gleiwitz Radio all over again. With the added twist of eliminating own forces, this highlights the ruthlessness of Martian “War Faction”.
    Another twist of the story is that the princess actually survived due to gravity adjustment problems and double taking her place. I guess body doubles have become standard security procedure in both Mars and Galaxy far far away…
    She might yet become important, especially since there is a kill team survivor onboard of same APC. This might expose the whole plot behind assassination and cause at least some internal split within Martian ranks. Plus she is actually quite capable fighter herself, so maybe OP sequence with her drawing a gun might presage some combat action for her… Again analogies with the Galaxy far far away.
    Our emotionally detached but hypercompetent MC better finds a way of defeating those shields. Because so far the Earth mechas – and all other weapons – were completely unable to breach them. I doubt even nukes would be effective against them since the Castles easily survived the impact that entailed similar level of energies unleashed.
    My initial assesment of the shields,Show Spoiler ▼

    Other than that, maybe there is some captured or replicated Martian-tech based weaponry that Earth forces have been secretly preparing to use.

    ewok40k
    Reply

  56. You call that a thrill ride? It’s more like a massacre. Shouldn’t they have given hints on how the Terrans can turn this around by now? I guess we’ll see, hopefully by next episode.

    sealouse
    Reply

  57. mmm those “phase shields” are more like “annihilation fields”: basically they destroy whatever touches them … dunno why the military hasnt noticed this yet: bullets and physical weapons wont work. BUT there is an area NOT shielded: the feet, if the feet were shielded then the mechas would sink into the ground. could they exploit it by using mines/shooting when they step? dunno.

    In any case the terrans are totaly outclassed and outgunned

    PS: last weeks i bet that Urobutcher would kill 3 or 4 of the guys from school before the 4/5 of the show… it seems my estimate missed the mark .. second episode and we got 1 down, pretty sure the next one to die will be in 2 episodes.

    PS2: and the princes lives … and so does one close to the “assassins” … now if the martians knights are acting independently from the Vers empire i could see a solution.

    inanis
    Reply

  59. OMG! Urobutcher strikes again.

    This was an episode filled with tragedy, and man, did the music of the second part of the episode send chills down my spine and gave me goosebumps. Perfect blend with the tragic atmosphere.

    The animation is top-notch, and the script is amazing.

    I really hope this show doesn’t go down the toilet, as the script after episode 3 was passed to the guy who did Boku no Pico ;_;

    Kev9
    Reply

  60. Yeah the OP pretty much spoiled the princess was ok before the episode did but given how the scene played out it’s no surprise. It’s pretty clear the princess is now traveling with the main group (it was strongly hinted at least) and someone close to her was the double.

    At any rate the Martians are way to OP. Unless they have some ground breaking technology on hand the humans are going to get wiped out pretty easily. Which is why i can see this going down the route where one of their own leaks their mech technology to the humans so they have a fighting chance. Given the betrayals that have been going on that’s the only way i can see playing field getting leveled without it coming off as some random deus ex.

    I can already tell I’m going to hate this MC. All I’m getting is that he’s pretty emotionless and we are supposed to see him as some kind of badazz but not much else. Best friend dies in front of him and not a single crap was given………..ugh

    As someone who is extremely emotional and someone who is extremely stoic are two ends of the spectrum that can be an annoyance. They are certainly going to work in some kind explanation but anyone who has watched Blade & Soul (horrible anime) should know even with an explanation there are certainly BAD ways to do this.

    leatherhead333
    Reply

  61. I keep thinking it, but seeing as Slaine on the Martian side is Terran, the incredibly stupid plot twist would be that Inaho is actually Martian. But they wouldn’t think of doing such a stupid cliche, right? <_<

    Sissy
    Reply

  62. Let’s see, this Mars Wounder Energy, this Light. Did they transport some of these “energy” to earth before the Gate got destroyed?

    it is important. Because looks like their Mars Mechas dont have a Generator. They need this Energy like fuel. Or there would be no timer on using it. So Earth could have a little Fuel, and perhaps they could build some Prototypes, with it. But there would be the Problem with Fuel… If Earth could get their hands on these fuel resources, they could fight back

    But all here if of course “what if”

    Germanguy
    Reply

  63. I’m really liking this MC, he is Lelouch without an agenda, hoping he’ll show us some more tastics/strategies and give orders like a leader.

    So far the theme of the Martians being a superior more evolved version of humans has been a main focus point, I think the MC could be a genius with untapped potential that surpasses both the Earth humans and the Martians.

    10/10
    Reply

  65. Thoughts:

    Lol they just wiped out the entire Earth Communications grid. Always remember to do that, alien invaders.

    Martians OP. Though Its kinda boring to watch an anime where one side just gets wiped out. Kinda absurd though that the Martians think they’re all better than people from Earth just because they have better mechs and tech. Its only been what? Like 1 generation between the separatist Mars movement and the war? Then again Humanity’s history has been filled with such things.

    Still I guess this is a slightly more realistic portrayal of a vastly technologically superior foe going against humanity than the typical mecha series.

    LOL Shield Arrays on the Martian Fighter? Hax. Hehe.

    Oh look, planted Martian terrorists. And that’s why I’m not a fan of hardliners in any military and society. You eventually get used as pawns and seen as easily disposable. *sigh*

    Hmm…I wonder if the MC was some sort of experimental subject before. These stoic characters typically have such back stories hehe.

    Netto
    Reply

  66. My God, this stone-faced M.C. is pissing me off. Now i miss those typical stupid-retarded-hot-blooded shounen heroes! Even Mahouka’s Tatsuya has more personality than him!

    But I hope he at least become a little surprised when discover he helped not only the martian princess but one of her killers, too!

    Gilberto I.
    Reply

    1. I adore hot-blooded protagonists as much as the next guy, but with all due respect, I don’t think you’re giving Inaho quite enough credit as a character.

      It’s not just that he’s stone-faced. He does not seem to particularly care about, really, anything around him, even his own life; especially his own life. Though at the same time he’s not completely dead inside either, as we could actually gleam some initiative in him at his having seen his friend die right in front of him.

      That said, this is the Urobutcher we’re dealing with here, so it’s all but certain that there’s a reason behind why Inaho is the way that he is. I’m leaning more towards him having a certain something, a trigger if you will, that will evoke some actual emotion in him. Anything else, even the whole damned world falling apart, will be like water off a duck’s back.

      Ryan Ashfyre
      Reply

      1. Yeah, I certainly hope so… some kind of mental condition or traumatic past (involving his parents?) to justify why he acted like he didn’t care at all for his friend’s death or his older sister almost dying before his very eyes.

        Is not like it would make a difference if he starts to cry or yell like crazy, anyway.

        Gilberto I.
        Reply

  67. Bald commander: We’ve spent 15 years preparing for such an attack…

    Opening sequence….

    Every Squad gets destroyed

    Bald Commander: What in the world?

    I know that the scene was meant to solidify the supremacy of the martian technology and instill hopelessness to the viewer but his reaction from being confident to dumbfounded was kind of funny…i don’t know why

    anon
    Reply

  68. I predict something similar to blast of tempest. He’s gonna lose his shit and lose it hard, but not for a while. I don’t really like it that melodramatic, but that’s the direction I see it going

    William Lawler
    Reply

  69. Ep 03:

    Watched 50%

    But until now, they gave our MC emotions. Well not that face emotions, but he explain his actions and emotions. So this episode do it right until know. And of course his Intelligence actions…

    more when i watch it all

    Germanguy
    Reply

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    Body Language Books
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