Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova / First Impressions

「嵐の中へ」 (Arashi no Naka E)
“Into the Storm”

Alright. This show has me sold. I was pretty darn excited after the first episode, but this second episode just corrosive torpedoed that to smithereens, and I’m just left with my mouth open as to how awesome this week was. tl-dr? It was 20 minutes of unadulterated, adrenaline rush inducing naval combat awesomeness.

Indeed, they don’t waste anytime at all bringing us right into the match-up between the 401 and the Heavy Cruiser Takao, and boy what a beauty of an episode it is. We got corrosive torpedoes, low-frequency torpedoes, ship transformations yielding hidden super-gravity cannons, massive life-size decoys… and well, the list goes on. Combine that with a fabulous soundtrack by Masato Kouda (making his first anime soundtrack by the way) and a CGI that looks best when mixed in with piew piew and explosions, and what more can I say? This is naval combat—no, action in general—done right, and what’s better is that they don’t just stop there.

Because ultimately, this is a sci-fi fan’s wet dream not only because of the aforementioned, but also due to the tactics employed and the terminology that comes with it. There ain’t nothing like hearing actual submarine terms used on a daily basis—SILENT RUNNING, LET’S GO!—to set the mood, and it just gets better when you consider the skillful usage of decoys (I’ll just hide that submarine under me, thank you very much) and deduction in attempting to sink the opponent.

With that said, Chihaya Gunzou’s really showing himself off as a skilled captain by far, and I’m really loving how he ain’t conservative at all when it comes to his naval combat style. There just ain’t as much action if you ain’t a gambler, and let’s just say his comment of “hypotheses are meant to be proven” just highlights which side of the equation he belongs to. What’s better is how he has a reliable crew that’s equally as over the top as he is, and gosh darn, it’s a pretty darn nice dynamic they end up setting up here between them all.

Ultimately though, it’s notably not all about the action this week—even though it essentially was almost an entire episode filled with it. We get a little more revelation in regards to the Admirality Code and the principles they operate for one (no direct attacks on land), as well as a quick mention of a “Hyuuga,” who seems to have been a notable Fog opponent defeated in the past. And with Takao’s episode ending thoughts about how she wants “a unit like” Gunzou, we also open up an interesting topic in regards to whether or not AI’s are better with or without human influence/assistance, and it’s a topic that another interesting (and somewhat similar) science fiction story in Yukikaze bought up too. Oh yeah, did I mention how awesome it’d be if it ended up being that the other ships all end up falling for him too? Cause darn, that’d be one awesome harem.

Ahem* Fantasies aside, it’s just a great episode that highlights one big reason why people watch anime in the first place: pure enjoyment. Essentially, Ars Nova seems to be one of those series that’s made for that reason, and I’m sure as heck enjoying the lights out of it. I mean, come on, fighting with ships that are virtually unaffected by typhoons? That’s just awesome. I just hope that that’s not the last we end up seeing of Takao though…

Where do we come from?
What are we?
Where are we going?

Author’s Note:

  • Quick thanks to Zanibas for helping out with the caps!
  • We’re still not quite sure whether or not to pick this series up for full-time coverage, but it’s definitely getting there. It should be at least getting the occasional snapshot post however.
  • Last but not least, please refrain from spoilers past this point. If you must, please utilize spoiler tags.

    •  

    ED Sequence

    ED: 「ブルー・フィールド」 (Buru Firudo) by Trident

    End Card

    92 Comments

    1. I am assisting Zephyr on the condition that I can get all my innuendos out of the way for this show. Some that I’ve thought of are as follows:

      All the ships are getting shipped.
      Some of these ships want to dock into port.
      It looks like submarine is on bottom while the heavy is on top.
      Every episode will have ships shooting their loads.
      Instead of a harem, Gunzou’s going to have a fleet…harem…thing.
      Takao wants Gunzou onboard, if you know what I mean.

      Zanibas
      Reply

      4. Yo dawg! We heard you like shipping lanes control so we got a new shipment of ships you can ship with our MC! Expect much ship to ship combat once it enters harem level! (entire fleet of incredibly lame puns…)

        Gosh as an avid military geek (level: Harpoon player!) I just can’t but be excited by all that – even if mucho fictional – ordnace being fired. From VLS ASROC-like missiles to giant beam guns, to sensor ranges and maneuver lingo this show tickles my brain. Bishojo Mental Models are icing on the cake!

        ewok40k
        Reply

      6. Gunzou unloaded his giant cannon at the submarine clinging to Takao’s rear and she exploded. Takao was so impressed that, as you’ve pointed out, she wants Gunzou’s unit inside of her.

        Beedle
        Reply

      7. A show with innuendos?
        You probably should check out Walkure Romanze Episode 2 then.
        Seems like the show’s starting to pay homage to their eroge origins :p

        ….though no RandomC writer is covering it, right? Sighs.
        Well I know I’ll be watching it for the lols 🙂

        Techim
        Reply

      10. Maybe a little late to join the discussion, but FWIW here’s my contribution:

        “Never before in the history of naval warfare have captains been so willing to go down on with their ship.”

        daikama
        Reply

    3. REALLY hope you two decide to blog this. IMO this show goes beyond something just for sci-fi fans. I like sci-fi, but not more than any other genre – probably less than a couple other genres TBH, but I love this series. EP 01 got me interested enough to check out the manga and that was it. The manga’s a blast (no pun intended) – great action, and to my surprise a lot of funny moments and even a few touching ones as well. The plot/story line is intriguing as well. It’s fast becoming one of my favorite manga series period.

      Without question I’m following Arpeggio anime the entire season. IMO, the anime has a lot to offer – innovative tactics, exciting battles, interesting plot lines, humor and yes, even character development (especially if you broadly define “character”).

      Lastly <3<3<3 Takao. The Tsundere Heavy Cruiser is the flagship of my heart. Just waiting for permission to come aboard XD (sorry, couldn't resist LOL)

      daikama
      Reply

    4. Read the manga before and I found it to be awesome.

      Picked up this show while having high expectations for it and it’s in ship shape condition. Looks like it’ll be smooth sailing from here on if the studio faithfully adapts the manga.

      That aside, I think this series will bring the debut of various classes of ships into anime and manga media.

      Thus far up to this point, Type IX U-boat has made an appearance. Wonder if the series will stretch to the introduction of certain Royal Navy and Kreigsmarine ships

      c2710
      Reply

      1. Agree 100% – If the anime follows the manga it will be a great show. So far, I’ve noticed a few deviations/cut material but nothing dire.

        I also wonder where the manga “stopping point” will be for the anime. I was thinking end of manga volume 06. That’s two manga volumes per episode, and even with all the action, my fear is that the pacing will be at flank speed rather than proper cruising speed. Maybe they can pull it off without cutting too much material. Hope so. To include the others you mentioned, would go beyond that. I’d rather save post vol 06 material for season two.

        In fact, with what seems to be a higher than normal amount of 2-cour shows this season, IMO it’s shame this isn’t one of them. Include all the manga material plus a certain Tsundere Heavy Cruiser side story and I don’t think there would be much, if any, need for filler material.

        For those who are up to date with the manga – question: Significant Show Spoiler ▼

        daikama
        Reply

        4. @Da5id – Oops, “typo” there. Sorry about that. I meant 2 episodes per manga volume (12 Eps / 6 manga volumes). That’s still a pretty fast pace IMO, though not absurdly fast if the manga has a lot of action scenes.

          @C270: Read up to CH 48 (AFAIK the latest Eng. TL chapter). I was just curious as to what seems to be an inconsistency concerning a minor detail.

          RE: Latest Manga Chapters:
          Show Spoiler ▼

          daikama
          Reply

        5. The anime OP list the I-400 class Mental Model as “DualCore G-I x1″ while Takao has a “SingleCore G-I x 1″

          I think it’s just the anime having fun. Takao and Maya (Takao-class heavy cruiser); Haruna, Kirishima and Kongo (Kongo-class fast battleship); and Hyuuga (Ise-class battleship) are all stated to have SingleCore G-I mental models, while Iona, I-400 and I-402 (I-400-class attack/observation submarines) have DualCore G-I mental models.
          And it’s stated outright in the manga that the heavier ships have processing power that far surpasses that of the I-400 class, so it’s probably meaningless.

          Shiden
          Reply

      2. Thus far up to this point, Type IX U-boat has made an appearance. Wonder if the series will stretch to the introduction of certain Royal Navy and Kreigsmarine ships.

        Probably only as cameo appearances for one of the latter since IIRC, that ship and its twin Cores appear as a tease of what’s going on in the European Theatre.

        Still no sign of Musashi or Yamato though, and their inclusion is actually pretty important. I’d hazard they won’t appear until a possible OP2/ED2, which would time with things in the anime ramping up to follow the stuff in the manga. To a lesser extent, there’s also Nagato who’s missing.

        Lurk
        Reply

    5. As a big sci-fi fan, Arpeggio really fills your palette, especially with the naval strategies, warfare and a super graviton cannon! I do hope you guys consider blogging this if you have time, because I can see the action is going to get pretty amazing.

      Dualash
      Reply

    7. Very good, very good. I just think Itano Circusing the torpedoes was a bit much compared to the lasers in the manga, but all’s fine and well. Can’t wait to see more of our precious ship-fus.

      SerRompalot
      Reply

    9. I say full steam ahead and pick up the series already. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. It has everything that a Sci-fi and/or military otaku could ever want and more.

      Honestly, I could care less if the CG is a little rough looking, which seems to be turning some people away from the show. I’m just so happy to see my favorite characters/ships moving instead of static. And yes, my most favorite of all is Takao, followed by Maya, Iona and her sisters 400 and 402. Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing plenty of Takao. She can almost be considered the main heroine/ship of the story, though that’s not to say that the others won’t be getting their time in the spotlight as well.

      Show Spoiler ▼

      vanfokerdumplestein
      Reply

    11. The show is fantastic so far. I am a fan of both sci-fi and naval warfare, and I can easily say that what I am seeing so far is more than pleasing! Zephyr, please, consider picking this show up for blogging, if you find that you have the time of course!

      Tassadar
      Reply

    13. It would be a crime not to blog the only sci-fi /m/ series of the season that faces matters as it should be: seriously, with a ton on detail on tactics and combat and a fantastic, inteligent story. Mind you, if this two eps haven’t got anyone waiting for the next, then your only choice is to resort to Plamo: The Animated Series or The Sunrise Way: Doing a Cluster***.

      Back to the ep, Takao not only has turned full tsundere after her first clash against Gunzou and Iona, but as Kongou noticed, something else has changed in her. In which case, the Fleet of the Fog is really a group of sentient life forms. They can learn, something that could be dangerous even if the Vibration Torpedo can really penetrate their shields. Finally, is good to see a real MC that do what a real MC should do: taking the helm of things. Why don’t we have more characters like Gunzou is clearly a mystery

      SeedStriker
      Reply

      1. They can learn, something that could be dangerous even if the Vibration Torpedo can really penetrate their shields.

        Depends on if the Vibration Torp strikes their keel and especially if it hits their inlet port. 😉

        Bear
        Reply

    15. Has anyone noticed that the quotation at the end of the episode is the title of what is probably Paul Gauguin’s most famous picture and post-impressionist masterpiece: ‘Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?’? (http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/where-do-we-come-from-what-are-we-where-are-we-going-32558) It is an exploration of what it means to be human, and an attempt to define the nature and purpose of human existence in the face of the random neutrality of creation. Lots of big explosions maybe, but also something a little deeper and more philosophical as well before the series is finished, perhaps.

      albanian
      Reply

    16. i say, the CG for the characters definitely looks much better than the first episode.

      i am a bit offed by the fact that they compressed the battle with takao into a single episode, but that does not diminish my interest.

      looking forward to seeing more naval combat later on (crossing my fingers early that there would be a season 2).

      flamerounin
      Reply

    17. Zephyr, are you sure you have the right picture linked for “super gravity cannons”? Because what it links to right now looks more like Takao just getting ready to launch some torpedoes. Not that that’s a bad thing, mind you, but it doesn’t seem related.

      Wanderer
      Reply

    19. Good, they use “Anime Skin Faces” for their CG Body’s. With this “technique” they give them a Soul. just plain CG Skin, they look like Puppets or Robots. Out of Place

      Well, the Fight was intense. But look like the are using some “Samurai” codex. The Loser stay to his Word. Well, she was “forced” to Lock her Weapons and go out to Sea. So that she cannot interfere with I401 Mission

      But dear Production Team. these “CPU”‘s are AI’s. Do they have a Heart? they know Honor? Dont forget, that they are AI. and are just following Commands. Or the “Captain” of the “Fog Fleet” are Humans or “Life Forms” that know this Honor battle Codex

      Please think your Ideas through the End.

      Germanguy
      Reply

      1. and some Prediction/Speculation to I401

        My Guess, why she run over to the Humans, was…

        Entertainment

        What? Well, the “Fog Fleet” was so Powerful, that the Humans was no real thread. To get the Thrill, they sent one of their Ships to “spice” things Up, for their own Fun…

        That could be an Explanation, why they give 1 Ship away…

        Germanguy
        Reply

        1. From what it showed in the first episode, I think that Show Spoiler ▼

          SerRompalot
          Reply

    20. The silent running, has a little flaw. Sure, you can kill all Noise on the Submarine, so that the Noise would not give you out. But, better Sonars dont need the Noise. They can detect Iron. Yes, the Submarine Hull, can give your Position away. But i hope I401 or these “Fog Fleet” Ships, have all kind of Hull, that dont give them away

      Oh, and dont underestimate Passive Sonar.

      Germanguy
      Reply

      1. Not a sonar expert or engineer, but my understanding of active sonar is that it is essentially underwater radar. A sound wave is sent out (the “ping”), reflects off something and bounces back to the ships sonar sensor. I also know that sonar (or something similar) is used for geological surveys, but I haven’t heard of anything which is so detailed as to identify specific material composition. It can distinguish density (i.e. rock vs. sand vs. liquid vs. air cavity), but AFAIK, nothing so specific as say granite vs. shale. Might be wrong – not a geologist.

        So not sure where you getting the “iron detecting sonar.” Would like to know more so please post a link on it if you have one. At any rate, active sonar can pick up a sub even it is “running silent”, but there are limits. The sound waves don’t stretch forever. Plus just like “stealth” fighters who’s design and materials scatter radar signals rather than reflect, there are stealth subs as well.

        In terms of passive sonar (essentially an underwater microphone), I wouldn’t overestimate its abilities. No where near as good as active sonar.

        daikama
        Reply

    21. ‘Befriending’ battleships by defeating them? This kind of reminds me of certain SLG (both H and non-H) where you start with a small party and then grow to have an entire army (or fleet in this case)

      Karutaku
      Reply

    24. I guess you have to assume that Takao (and other Fleet of Fog) ships are pinging something like active sonar all the time, and that there are none of the normal dodges like detection lobes or thermal layers. It also seems odd to me that if you’re an advanced ship who’s going to be a submarine, why not pick something like an Ohio-class as a model, which could be functionally as quiet as (or quieter than) the water around it, rather than a U-boat.

      Enough nitpicking tho. This was a lot of fun, and authentic enough tactically to not seem dumb.

      Highway
      Reply

      1. Well, for some reason it seems like everyone chose WW2 era ships, and even then, only of certain areas. European Fog Fleet has European ships, Oriental Fog Fleet has Japanese ships, and the Pacific Fog Fleet has American ships, with small splinter-fleets based on positioning in real life during the war.

        SerRompalot
        Reply

    26. For those new to the series and only following the anime, I uploaded the Arpeggio of Blue Steel “dictionary” from the end of manga volume 01 which was covered by anime episodes 01 & 02. IMO this is “spoiler safe”. Nothing new other than mentioning the name of one ship which I don’t think has been mentioned yet in the anime, but just the name of that ship.

      It explains a lot stuff like corrosive torpedoes, active vs. passive sonar, active vs. passive decoys, wave force armor, etc.

      You can get it here

      daikama
      Reply

    31. As requested, screenshots of all the ships with stats from the anime OP. FYI – I had labeled the pictures by each ship’s name, but some how that didn’t show up after I uploaded.

      Pics are HERE

      Not sure if listing names of ships yet to appear = spoiler so just to be safe they are listed in the following spoiler in order of the image gallery. Show Spoiler ▼

      daikama
      Reply

        2. @Wanderer: As a general rule, the higher the ship class (usually corresponds with size/displacement along with gun size), the higher the computing power/better Mental Module “processor”. Thus battleship (BB) > heavy cruiser (CA) > light cruiser (CL > destroyer (DD). That’s also the case (AFAIK) within classes. Thus “great” battleship > “fast” battleship > battlecruiser (BC usually). We haven’t seen aircraft carriers (CV), but just for thoroughness, my guess is that they would rank roughly on par with battleships based upon WWII viewpoint though the series seams to relate a little to the gunship era as well as WWII which would mean BB are solely in top class.

          Where the I-400 subs, really any sub class (e.g. SC – cruiser sub or SS – attack sub) fit in is a bit harder to tell. My guess is that very large subs like the I-400 class are on the CL level. In the manga, at one point (volume 04 or 05) Iona states that a complex activity done by Takao is something that she couldn’t do in terms of processing power. Small subs (which we haven’t seen) would be on the DD level or perhaps even lower.

          Which brings me to the anime OP screen shots. I posted a question about this in a spoiler above (does contain spoiler info BTW). From what I can tell, unless there is some translation error, it seems that the anime somehow made a mistake with the Mental Module “processor” stats. I think it’s in vol 05 that a character says that the G-I model/processor is exclusive to battleships. I suppose it’s possible that individual was mistaken (thus the anime stats = a small spoiler), but even if that was the case, I still can’t reconcile Iona’s above statement. As for “DualCore” vs. “SingleCore”, this is the first I’ve seen that though it might be in untranslated material. Even so, that still conflicts with Iona’s statement. If anyone can resolve this, please post (and please use spoiler tags where appropriate).

          Lastly, the OTOME plug-in is kind of an inside running joke (a very funny one at that). Otome means “young lady, virgin or maiden.” “Maiden” is probably the best way to view it (what the manga translator used).

          Hope this helps.

          daikama
          Reply

    38. @daikama
      “As for “DualCore” vs. “SingleCore”, this is the first I’ve seen that though it might be in untranslated material. Even so, that still conflicts with Iona’s statement. If anyone can resolve this, please post (and please use spoiler tags where appropriate).”

      Maybe it’s a metaphor for hull. In real history, I-400 class of WW II had dual hull. Ships and other submarines of those days had single hull. From the appearance, I-400 class of WW II looked just like an ordinary single hull submarine except for its big size. But in fact, I-400 class had two hulls in one body.
      You may check this documentary if you like.
      http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/episodes/japanese-supersub-watch-the-full-episode/591/

      walker
      Reply

      1. Thanks for the reply. I guess it’s possible that “DualCore” is metaphor for dual hull.

        In real history, I-400 class of WW II had dual hull. Ships and other submarines of those days had single hull
        What gets confusing is whether “dual hull” is the same as “double hull”. Certainly for submarines, a double hull was not exclusive the I-400 class. The USN SS-168 Nautilus and sister subs featured a double hull. The German Type XXI featured a fully enclosed pressure hull double hull design, and is widely viewed as the general predecessor of modern submarines.

        Getting off point here. Personally, it seems a bit of a stretch to use a hull as a metaphor for a processing unit, but your theory is better than anything I can think of other than the anime somehow making a mistake or just “having fun” as Shiden suggested above.

        daikama
        Reply

    39. This episode is great and the series is actually more substantial than I previously thought.

      My only question is how did they actually implement that cannon into the submarine itself? It’s fine if they have the facilities to do it, but as the minister said in the last episode, he’s considered a felon by virtue of being the captain of a fog-submarine. I doubt that any country would be happy to lend him the required facilities.

      Secondly, if the cannon is that big, wouldn’t they have to take out quite a few things from within the original submarine itself? Since the cannon seemed to be located in the middle, did they take out the rooms/kitchens/storage areas and all that?

      Actus
      Reply

      1. They will explain how and where the I-401 implement the gravity canon along with the introduction of 2 important characters.

        Regarding the room requirement, the I-401 is submarine designed with around 200 crew. Right now I-401 only have 5 people + Iona (and her countless subnodes). So, I think they have a lot of room to spare.

        shinizaki
        Reply

    40. “My Heavy Cruiser Can’t Be This Cute”

      (Dodges thrown fruit)

      Takao just steals the show at the end. She seems to be more developed then Iona, mentally perverts. I wonder why that would be since Iona has been fighting with humans and learning about them through everyday interaction. Takao shouldn’t have that kind of interaction so why does she have more of a personality? Unless it comes from the ‘people’ who built or created the Fog ships, which opens more questions.

      rh75
      Reply

      1. I can see how that appears to ge the case, but I wouldn’t say that Iona is less “developed” but rather she’s more the introverted, serious type. There are moments where she does act more “human-like”, but the anime hasn’t gotten to that point yet. BTW, that’s the case for the Mental Module’s in general. While most are “all business” (at least initially) a few are more “free-spirited” from the start for lack of a better word. In general, human interaction has a major influence on them – again more for some than others.

        Why the “core” personalities vary so much is hard to explain given the material out there at this point. I have a theory for some of that, but too spoilerish to go into detail and doesn’t cover all aspects anyway.

        LOL at your unofficial title.

        daikama
        Reply

    41. Really awesome battle scenes ! I hope we can see other nation’s WW2 warships other than just the IJN. Maybe the pride of the Kriegsmarine the Bismarck, or RN’s HMS Hood. Just a bit of query though, since in the previous episode they said that aircraftd were easily shot down by the Fog ships, does that mean we won’t get to see carriers like IJN Shinano ? Or a battle similar to Midway ….? I wouldn’t mind seeing a Battle of Jutland where all the battleships come together for a ‘decisive’ fight . After Gonzou gets enough defected ships of course .

      Radiosonde
      Reply

        1. You’re right in terms of the RL I-400 series. The were supposed to carry Aichi M6A Seiran aircraft on board… all three of them >_>.

          As for the Arpeggio series, I could prove to be wrong, but I’m not expecting any Fleet of Fog (FoF) aircraft. I get a very “gun-ship era” feeling from the show despite the use of WWII ship = in terms of the FOF, the battleship, rather than the aircraft carrier & its planes, still reigns supreme.

          daikama
          Reply

        2. But historically the I-400 series only had enough space to carry 3 M6A Seiran…. Not a very useful ‘submarine carrier’ if u ask me. Maybe that’s why the author chose not to add airplanes to I-400s because it wouldn’t be enough to change the tide of a battle , unlike say the Shinano carrier

          Radiosonde
          Reply

        3. @Radiosonde: But historically the I-400 series only had enough space to carry 3 M6A Seiran…

          True. Guess my attempt at sarcasm wasn’t very good. That’s what I meant by “all three of them”. I agree with you that the I-400 subs were not very useful for that very reason – waste of resources really.

          As for why there are no aircraft on board the I-401, I think it goes beyond utility. The focus of the series is clearly naval – the ships are the stars of the show. Battleships are the top class AFAIK which fits that type of scenario rather than reflect RL WWII conditions where the aircraft carrier and its planes ruled the seas.

          Again, I might be wrong, but I’d be surprised if any FoF aircraft ever show up in the series. If FoF aircraft exist, I would think they would have been used in the “great war” 17 years ago rather than remain hidden up to now.

          daikama
          Reply

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