Final Impressions / First Impressions / Kakumeiki Valvrave

「起動する異端者」 (Kidō suru itansha)
“Rise of the Heretic”

There’s something to be said about ending a season with your best material ever – we have non-stop action, eye-opening revelations, intense character drama and yet another glimpse into the future! The show hit just about every high note in this episode, and it’s hard for me to pick and choose from such embarrassment of riches. One thing that really jumps out, though, is just how great it was to see Saki stepped up for herself and her rejection of Haruto’s guilt-driven proposal was hardly a surprise – not to mention very much in character! Say what you will about the fallen idol, but Saki is, first and foremost, a fiercely independent person. While her self-denial and abnegation are more than apparent, I don’t think there’s a snowball chance in hell she’ll take the easy way out in this romantic subplot – not when she might harbor true feelings for Haruto! What lies ahead for this complicated “love triangle” is anyone’s guess and I’m certainly not going to write off Saki just yet. The only thing that I’m remotely assured of at this juncture is that Saki is not going to take any half-hearted wisecrack as a resolution and Haruto most certainly has a tough choice to make when his day of reckoning comes – an answer that I am eagerly awaiting!

Needless to say, Saki and Shouko are both unique in their own ways, and I have utmost respect for the both of them. While the stark contrast between those two is nothing short of conspicuous, there are also certain similarities that the two female leads share – first, their unfailing love for Haruto, and second, the supreme fortitude that they have displayed in the face of difficulties. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that Shouko has no interest to play the finger-pointing game and the fact that she intends to hide her father’s unfortunate demise from Haruto was hardly unexpected – no doubt, Haruto would never forgive himself if he learned about the truth! Shouko’s interaction with reclusive Renbokouji was another highlight of this episode and the emergence of Akira as the next Valvrave pilot was pretty much set in stone the moment her wretched past was revealed. As it turns out, Akira is the victim of bullying as a kid and the severe trauma that she experienced has regrettably made her into a misanthrope. The brief insight into her past was unpleasant to say the least and I don’t think anyone could blame her for having such intense antipathy for the human race – or “fleas”, as she calls them! No question, it was Shouko’s inexhaustible faith in Akira that gave her the courage she needs to confront the dilemma head-on and her reputation as a genius hacker is certainly a perfect fit for “Hiasobi” (Valvrave VI) – which, of course, has the ability to control other machines using its picaroon-like “Hummingbird Equipment”! The unforeseen intervention of Akira could mark the turn of tide for this crucial battle and if there’s the slightest chance the remaining survivors can make it out alive, I suspect Hiasobi would be the one that makes it happen – hopefully, this would also put a cap on the death toll, which has been shooting up in a nerve-racking manner!

Speaking of the Dorssian’s most recent carnage, there was certainly more than a whiff in the air of anguish and despair for Module 77 – especially when three of the five Valvrave are already out-of-commission! It appears there’s life in the old dog yet and Colonel Cain has proven to be a more than capable a match for L-elf – the Dorssian war hero not only outwitted “The Prophet” easily, he also manhandled L-elf like a toddler in a physical scuffle. To say Cain has a few tricks up his sleeve would be an understatement and he certainly knows more about the Valvrave than he is letting on. His access to magical powers and the ability to activate a supposedly defunct Valvrave is merely a testament to his enigmatic origins – one that points to a certain connection with the mysterious organization known as the Magius! What the latest revelations mean for the overall narrative is hard to tell and your guess is probably as good as anyone’s at this stage – but it does seem like the Magius would be the ultimate antagonist of this series and we know for sure their presence remained ubiquitous well into the future! I stand by my belief that there’s bound to be more curve balls on the horizon and it’s hardly an exaggeration to say there are many questions that remained unanswered – not least of which is the nut-cracking cliffhanger that left the entire fate of Module 77 hanging in midair and perhaps more importantly, the romantic subplot that is far from being resolved!

Random tidbits:

  • How can you say no to Saki when she makes such an adorable face – If Haruto doesn’t want to marry her, I will!
  • Saki’s future-self looks absolutely stunning and while I’m at it, those are some pretty delicious thighs – Yes, I know perfectly well I have some pretty weird fetish. The “Valvrave imprint” makes them all the more suggestive!
  • Yuuki Aoi‘s doing a bang-up job voicing Akira – the high pitch of her voice captures Akira’s intense anxiety and franticness extremely well!
  • “Supermarket” charge! – and thus Akira’s days as a “Hikikomori” come to an end, with her dog shack completely in tatters!
  • “I’ll win at all cost” – little did Haruto know that includes killing Shouko’s father. This world is truly a harsh place!
  • “All I did was punch it!” – Hikaminari’s Machine Gun Punch was quite a sight to behold. He would make E.Honda proud!
  • “Let your blood boil!” – I must say, the iron/sandwich attack is a pretty hot idea! Presumably, Akira’s Hiasobi will play a part in getting the trapped Valvrave out of this predicament!
  • “Ouch!” – That’s not quite the graduation ceremony that L-elf had in mind!
  • I’m so glad the first ED theme – angela’s “Boku Janai”, was played in this episode. As much as I like ELISA’s “Soba ni Iru yo”, the second ED is not nearly as catchy and it certainly doesn’t pack the same oomph!
  • The finale of Season One was superb in just about every way. The only thing that’s missing is A-drei (Fukuyama Jun) screaming at the top of his lungs – “Eru Erufu”!

tl;dr: @SeishunRC – #Valvrave 12: There’s something to be said about ending a season with your best material ever – we have non-stop action, eye-opening revelations, intense character drama and yet another glimpse into the future! #Anime
 
Full-length images: 01, 02, 03, 06, 10, 13, 25, 33, 37, 41.

Epilogue:

Epilogue/First Season Impressions:

Kakumeiki Valvrave is not like any other series that’s airing this season and you wouldn’t expect it to end like one – in fact, the events in the epilogue were much more dramatic than the finale itself! If Season One was merely a set-up for the forthcoming confrontations, it’s safe to say the next season is going to be ever more intense, action-packed and mind-blowing! An incoming time-skip is probably inevitable and based on what we heard from Saki’s future-self this week, it seems like cross-planetary journeys might also be in the cards – one that spans across galaxies at that. To my greatest delight, the entire main cast has made it out of the first season pretty much unscathed – even Shouko, who has tripped on more death flags than I could count, managed to survive the latest ordeal. I suspect her role in the second half could be as important as the first, but it remains to be seen whether she’ll turn out to be next Valvrave pilot. If L-elf’s monologues in the final few seconds are any indication, there are indeed, seven of them – which means there’s either one or two spots that needs to be filled! My gut says she’s not going to become one – as a matter of fact, I am almost certain Haruto would not want her to tread down the same path, especially after the ill-fated incident that happened in Episode 10.

This, of course, brings me to the point at issue and the biggest question that remained unresolved is how will the “love triangle” evolved from here. Saki is obviously at the center of attention – her role in the second season could become even more prominent than it already is and it seems like she might find herself entangled with the Magius’ affairs – and by extension, the ever-so-imposing Colonel Cain! While it might seem like a long shot at this juncture, I wouldn’t be too surprise if the current triangle developed into a “love square” – after all, the kid that Saki’s future-self was in company with looks very much like a younger version of L-elf! Speaking of L-elf, the latest occurrence has certainly put a dent on his reputation as “The Prophet” – the fact that he failed to land a single hit on his former mentor is a sign of weakness and the prodigious soldier might not be as bulletproof as we once thought. Even with his extensive screen time, L-elf’s motives and agendas remained pretty much obscured – his affiliation with the Dorssian princess has been vaguely hinted at in Episode 8, but we still have no idea how their enigmatic relationship fit into the overall discourse. Then there’s A-drei whose complicated history with L-elf, will no doubt, be brought to forefront again in the second season. Similar to the fallen “Prophet”, A-drei seems intent to pursue a Dorssian revolution of his own and his connection with the pink-hair maiden could also have a part to play in this story – I suspect there’s more to that than meets the eyes, perhaps even a blood kinship!

Clearly, the Magius will be playing a role of utmost importance in the coming season, but there’s not a whole lot that we can say about them at this stage. Their association with Colonel Cain has been made apparent, and it looks like both ARUS and Dorssia might have a hand to play in this conspiracy. Kriemhild and H-neun evidently know more than they’re letting on and it seems likely that their characters could carry a more significant weight in the second half – the teaser that featured a blood-bathed H-neun certainly points to that direction! What comes next for Kakumeiki Valvrave is hard to call, but being a two-cour series, the creators has the time and opportunity to roll out the narratives in a seamless manner. I expect the character exposition to continue in the similar grand fashion, and there’s bound to be waves of drama and commotion before all the dust is finally settled.

For those of you who have read my walls of texts in the past eleven weeks, you would have figured out by now that I hold Kakumeiki Valvrave in very high regards – so much so that I wouldn’t think twice about calling it the best show in Spring 2013. Just like Okouchi Ichiro’s previous work – Code Geass, there’s noticeably a wide divergence in the verdict of this series – some rejoice at its complete lack of restraint, while others are genuinely perturbed by its sheer farcicality. As for me, all I can say is that the show is second to none when it comes to straight-up entertainment value, and this is truly a testament to what can happen when you go into a series with an open mind. I’m sure Okouchi sensei still has a trick or two up his sleeves and the day when the second season makes its splashing premiere can’t come soon enough. Needless to say, I’m really looking forward to seeing the many facets of Kakumeiki Valvrave again and I hope all of you will stick around for the next season, which I assure you, will receive the attention it deserves at Random Curiosity – from none other than yours truly, of course!

Random tidbits:

  • Kakumeiki Valvrave is the second series that I’ve completed as a writer of RandomC – the first was Hyakka Ryouran. I would like give myself a pat on the back for a job well done!
  • Episode 10 of Kakumeiki Valvrave is currently the most-viewed episodic post in June – I can never figure out why.
  • I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of you – yes, even those who just look at the screen caps. My blogging experience wouldn’t be complete without your input and nothing gets me more excited than to hear from all of you!

185 Comments

      1. Haha, thanks! ;* And thanks for 51 likes, it’s my first time getting so many without even one dislike! ( and now ofc internet trolls will add some dislikes to ruin my happiness… )

        Shirocat
        Reply

  3. This was everything I wanted and more in a season finale, revelations, plot twists, and a cliffhanger ending that makes me want it to be October already. Sunrise did a great job delivering a fun and entertaining show week after week, not sure where they are going with the plot, but guess we’ll have to wait and see. In the mean time, I’ll just build the model kits…

    I don’t think anyone was surprised that Akira was the last pilot (her past was definitely traumatic, so it’s fully understandable that she never wanted to leave her room, but the fact that she fought her fear of the outside and gave up her humanity without a second thought just to save Shoko shows a lot of personal growth on her part. The Hummingbird weapon is awesome too, interested to see what she does with it in future battles)

    How is Shoko still alive? Totally unexpected, YOU CAN’T TRIP THAT MANY FLAGS AND LIVE. Saki rejecting Haruto was sort of surprising as well, but it makes sense when you think about it, as she wants him to actually love her, not just take responsibility for what he did.

    L-elf getting beat up and losing his cool in this episode was a sight to see, he’s been so calm and collected (and dare say overpowered) that it was interesting that the tables were finally turned on him- curious to see where they go with his character moving forward.

    So Cain is immortal too huh? Who’s the blue AI? The Magius? Why is JIOR in cahoots with Dorssia? So many questions were brought up in the last five minutes, but since we have all of the build up taken care of, the second season can jump right into the thick of things! It’s going to be awesome, I’m sure.

    Apologies for the wall of text here, but despite the flaws that Valvrave had, I really liked this show- definitely my favorite of the season, thanks for blogging it Seishun! ^^

    katsudon
    Reply

    1. Thanks Katsudon, I had loads of fun blogging Valvrave and reading your comments 😉
      I agree, L-elf getting his ass kicked was quite a sight – I’m not a fan of overpowered characters so it was pretty nice to see someone getting the better of him not just once, but multiple times. I’m a bit of an S :3

      Seishun
      Reply

    2. >] “How is Shoko still alive? Totally unexpected, YOU CAN’T TRIP THAT MANY FLAGS AND LIVE.”

      Outrageous. Absurd. Indefensible!

      Shouko should’ve been served up on a poison gas platter, leaving a broken-hearted Haruto to gaze upon the broken remnants of what small glimmering hope for a normal life he had left; his scream piercing the soundproof barrier of space itself!

      * Takes a deep breath *

      Seriously though, wtf? Color me surprised.

      RyanAshlight
      Reply

  4. Show of hands, was anyone able to predict the Magius shadow government twist?

    The way I see it, the ARUS President and Dorssian Fuhrer are the (willing?) puppets of the Magius. Both leaders are perpetuating the current political conflict to keep the Magius in power over the world and prevent humankind’s rise whilst they ‘restore their race’, in return for Magius support that keeps them in office.

    PS. It would also explain why ARUS never turned up to provide further help to New JIOR after losing Figaro & fleet,especially if the Magius decided that a warfare approach by the Dorssians was a faster, more convenient way of getting the Valvraves than ARUS’s sneaky politics method.

    zztop
    Reply

    1. Good point! The conspiracy that you mentioned has occurred to me as well, but the more important question is who is heading the empire 200 years from now – it doesn’t seem like ARUS or Dorssia is in existence any more. Could it be Cain? I’m hoping it’s L-elf, just because that would make him such a badass :3

      Seishun
      Reply

      1. Perhaps after defeating Cain and the Magius, the surviving Valvrave pilots and their allies united humankind as one and ventured deeper into space to form the greatest galactic civilisation known to man, the 3rd Galactic Empire!(Unless proven wrong, of course.)

        zztop
        Reply

      2. L-11’s descendant is dubbed as “The Prince” in the credits or somewhere (and looks like one) I think. So the Third Empire is likely New Jior that conquered the world and got turned into an Empire.

        Nayrael
        Reply

    3. So they’re basically space Patriots just with a different goal? Dear God I hope so. Maybe Cain will explain his power to grow limbs for Valvrave 02 with “Nanomachines son”.

      Kuntzy
      Reply

    4. Yeah I’ve assumed for awhile that there was going to be some shadowy conspiracy government at some point. Ever since Cain kept on referring to this “clan” of his I had a feeling that there was some unseen force at work.

      There’s also the tagline “Expose the truth of the World” and when you think about it was strongly hinting towards something like this.

      Zetatrain
      Reply

    5. Then why did it appear the ARUS President approached the Magius in the end? Was he invited, or could he be asking help from the Magius? Or it could be the other way around, the Magius turning to ARUS to get involved further in the conflict? I wouldn’t be surprised if we get to see new characters from the ARUS side to appear in the next season.

      jo
      Reply

  6. Shouko is truly a strong female lead; it’s a shame she is over-shadowed by Saki (I can’t figure out why though hmmmm) Haruto unintentionally killed her father yet she is completely aware that he had no idea her father was in aboard the fleet and doesnt go all angsty and “I shall hate you forever mode”. Instead, she is more worried about him being guilty for it; and to top it off, instead of wallowing in her despair, she tries to rescue Akira even though the girl would rather stay holed-up in her box than run for her life(which has me wondering…..where in the world does she…you know…do her lady-business???…Anywho….). Shouko has the ability to pull through times of adversity which makes a her a great character in my book. Not to mention she has done her first successful job as prime minister by getting Akira out of her shell and inadvertently saving everyone.

    sonicsenryaku
    Reply

    1. Its the hair and perma frown that gives Saki the edge. That dangerous hime cut. As soon as I saw her design I knew she’d own and kind of steal the show at least for the strong female character role. Its such a telegraph for personality and overall martiality and even lead me to predict her as a pilot early on.

      Also it’s been funny just watching somebody fan boy overtthis show week to week like the author Its so not the typical reaction to Valvrave on the Internet

      Kaioshin Sama
      Reply

      2. I try my best 🙂
        I really don’t see what’s not to like to be honest. Like I said, when it comes to sheer entertainment value, Valvrave is second to none – that to me is what makes a good show and Valvrave delivered splendidly 😉

        Seishun
        Reply

    2. Shoko lacks character development AND flaws.

      NOt everything goes right for Saki. Not everything goes right for Haruto. They are capable of failing, or messing up what they are doing.

      With SHouko its always a given that she will achieve whatever she sets out to do – just because. Also she is the typical “childhood friend airhead” stereotype and most of anime community has outgrown them already as every show is filled with them.

      Unknown Voice
      Reply

      2. And that’s fine that shouko has flaws, but I find her character to be much more endearing…and honestly, if we had to split hairs, all the characters in this show are poorly developed. Then again, complex characters are not why we watch this show so im cool with that since this has so much going on to distract you from that. Looking at both Shouko and Saki objectively (at least as objectively as humanly possible) Saki is no more developed than Shouko is, and quite frankly Saki’s tortured past is so poorly done that i cant sympathize for her at all; hell, Akira has a better tortured-past story than she does. All in all, my opinion on the two girls is that Shouko is just a much more endearing, strong, and lovable character; her presence lights up the room and she has a really big heart. She seems like she would be really cool to hang out with in real life and that is a win in my book all shipping wars aside.

        sonicsenryaku
        Reply

      3. Her character was design to be “perfect” because then it would be easier to rip them apart. It’s like an angel – so beautiful, so elegant – having their wing cut off. We love beautiful things but we also love tainting them. It has a certain appeal I think.

        TQ

        KF
        Reply

    3. >] “Haruto unintentionally killed her father yet she is completely aware that he had no idea her father was in aboard the fleet and doesnt go all angsty and “I shall hate you forever mode”. Instead, she is more worried about him being guilty for it”

      I wouldn’t give Shouko that much credit. Really, her father was dead either way and the only difference would’ve been whether Haruto or that nameless-Dorssian-guy-whose-name-I-don’t-care-to-remember did it.

      RyanAshlight
      Reply

  8. I wonder who that kid in the future is related to, but given amount of time and the apparent age of the child he could be the descendent of anyone of the characters or just there to make us question. As for the love triangle, I place myself on the HarutoXSaki ship and I will remain here till the show is over. I think that Saki has a real chance of winning in the end if Haruto does not die and Shoko does not become a pilot, since Shoko will have to die sometime, in fact this is one of the few animes where both sides of a love triangle can happen and not seem to much of an asspull. Can’t wait for next season, also it seems like there might be more than two seasons for this show, either that or that season two will be longer than season one since that is the only way it seems like they are going to be able to explain everything without it feeling cheap.

    jimmy
    Reply

    1. I don’t know if Shoko will die or not.

      But even if she does, I don’t think it will be until the very end of the series (and I think that will be at 50 episodes, not 24/25).

      I do know that her future role in the story is the most unpredictable. The producers will keep her alive as long as possible, precisely because no one knows what the hell she’s going to do next.

      I’m personally expecting a future cold-hearted galactic empress role from her. Meaning I do somehow believe that she’ll be around in the 200 year timeskip, causing more unpredictable mayhem that the makers of this show seem to love so much.

      Tre
      Reply

      1. I used to think SHouko will die, but now I am sure she will turn evil and start the Third Galactic Empire(the bull mecha is huge give-away considering what Shouko’s favorite animal seems to be), while Haruto will end up leading the vampire nation.

        Unknown Voice
        Reply

      2. Right. I think they’ve played up her ability to move beyond even L-Elf’s predictions, to the point that her role in the story has been solidified by it. She’ll become the trump card against Cain, after all else fails.

        So then this logic will become true:

        Normal people <- beaten by the intelligence of L-Elf <- beaten by the intelligence of Cain <- beaten by the craziness of Shouko

        Tre
        Reply

      3. Possible, but I dunno. With regards to the “craziness” factor, she’s a little too much like Shirley from Code Geass, and we all know how that one ended.

        Tragedy in waiting, indeed.

        I still think she’s going to die eventually, though that she managed to survive the first cour (Nani!?) has me rethinking just how. Possibly a last-minute betrayal from Saki or even Haruto himself?

        RyanAshlight
        Reply

      4. Shouko is nothing like Shirley (except that they both had their fathers killed by the main character). Shirley was a side character that had little relevance to the actual plot and showed up less and less as the story moved forward. And Shirley wasn’t crazy at all; she was about as stereotypically normal as you could get.

        If you were trying to come up with comparable characters to Shouko in Code Geass, Euphemia would be a better fit, though their personalities are also quite different.

        In fact, I can’t recall ever seeing a mecha show where a main female character gets so many death flags caused entirely by her own actions. Even the “If I win the election, I’ll confess to person I love” death flag is something usually reserved for male leads.

        Tre
        Reply

  11. It is possible that the child is mixture of L-Elf children and haruto, but at least the resemblance to L-Elf is evident. Shoko is interesting and, at least, have a premature death of his father, perhaps this being overshadowed by Saki, but both are great characters in their own way she will not die, their role is just beginning

    Oz
    Reply

  12. SAKIXHARUTOOO D: I was hoping she accepted the proposal… or, that Haruto chased after her when she left after telling him to save Shouko..
    All in all, I can’t wait till season 2. OCTOBEERR T.T

    Kuroneko
    Reply

  13. I didn’t like this show at first, i found it too cliché and kind of dumb but it evolved into something more interesting after the weak first episodes and I also grew to like it more reading your reviews, keep up the good work 🙂

    selma
    Reply

    1. I thought Gundam 00 and Code Geass were pretty darn conclusive more so the former. The latter had some loose plot threads with the Geass origin which the new OVA is my last hope to get some answers on but both had pretty clear “this is the end of this characters story” conclusions by the time all was said and done. Hopefully the same is the case with Valvrave but it really doesn’t have a lot of time to work with next season

      Kaioshin Sama
      Reply

  16. The only thing left that this anime have to do to completely (100%) win me over is to have all the Valvrave combine into one giant God-mech and just start throwing galaxies at the enemies. Seriously, what an awesome abomination Sunrise have created.

    Jhacks
    Reply

    1. If Shouko led anything, it smost likely the “THird Galactic Empire” Saki fought against – considering the coat of arms being a conglomeration of various assimilated nations and the bull-theme of the mechas.

      Founder is 100% surely Haruto

      Unknown Voice
      Reply

  20. AAAAHHHHHHHH! WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE OVER!? WHY MUST WE WAIT 3 MONTHS FOR THE AWESOMENESS TO CONTINUE!?

    * I can only hope that Saki’s rejection of Haruto’s guilt-proposal will eventually lead to real one in the future. Still firmly on the HarutoXSaki ship, and I absolutely no plans on jumping overboard.
    * Shoko really is stronger than I could’ve ever thought; even after the trauma of losing her dad (at the hands of her crush, no less) right in front of her, she still has in her to burst forward for Akira. While I may not be for her ship, I still hope she manages to find happiness.
    * As predicted, Akira (who suffer was worse than I expected; seriously, how could those kids be so cruel? And how could the teachers not notice this?) is the pilot of Six, and in spite of it looking like some kind of weird support unit, it’s ability to hack other machines makes it seem even more overpowered than Five. And is it just a coincidence that the resident pro-hacker manages to get the unit that requires such prowess?
    * Wow, those Dorssians really are curbstomping our heroes, and Q-Vier sounded really creepy when he stopped chewing the scenery.
    * I’m not going to lie, I absolutely loved seeing Cain utter mop the floor with L-Elf; the grading banter was just the icing on the cake (“You dare turn on your master? A+! But your defense is still severely lacking. F.” Yes, I know he said S and E, but I thought this way got the point across better).
    * So President Taketora and Fuhrer Koyasu are both in on the whole Magius deal. Suddenly, ARUS’s lack of involvement in defending Jior from Dorssia makes sense. And wow, the scale just got bigger (and might get even bigger, going by the prologue).
    * And of course Cain’s (gold+silver-colored, going by the screen) Valvrave Two would activate just as the season was ending. Giving us an actual Final Boss would be the predicatable route, no matter how frustrating it is.
    * Epilogue: Haruto is dying?! Conflict between H-Neun/Kriemhilde and X-Ein?! Saki, gun in hand, confronting Cain?! Actual military-esque uniforms for the pilots (with the female version showing off Saki and Akira’s legs)?! GOOD LORD, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT 3 MONTHS?!

    P.S. I wonder, is that kid E-elf and Haruto’s descendant? It’s been over 200 years, so there was plenty of time for their bloodlines to intersect.

    P.S.S. About Thunder’s Machine Gun Punch: when I saw the name on the subs, I couldn’t help but feel the nastolgia, as it shares the name with G Gundam’s Chibadee Crockett’s Ultimate Attack.

    P.S.S.S. Valvrave’s AI is revealed in the credits to be named Pino (voiced by Aina’s seiyuu, Ai Kayano). Her “onii-chan”, Blue/Plu (who seems to hate Cain, and maybe humans in general), is voiced by Tsubasa Yonaga.

    Anyways, thank you so much for your awesome reviews, Seishun. I’ve looked forward to your posts almost as much as the actual episodes themselves, and I hope to see them again when the show picks up in the fall. It’s going to be a long wait until then, especially since there’s only one show in Summer 2013 that I’m even slightly interested in (HS DxD NEW, for the record; BTW, who’s doing that this time? It couldn’t be you could it?!)

    Once again, thank you. Until next time!

    starqo
    Reply

    1. Thanks for always saying such nice things, starqo. I had loads of fun reading your comments too, keep ’em coming! Yes, I will be blogging High School DxD, so you have that to look forward to 😉

      GOOD LORD, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT 3 MONTHS?!

      Word, can’t agree more, +50 Seishun Points!

      Seishun
      Reply

  22. Saki is beautiful, even after 200 years. This series, despite being confused and sometimes stupid, got me 🙂

    …and meanwhile in Japan (Popularity Poll)

    1. Saki (She’s my fav too)
    2. L-elf
    3. Haruto
    4. A-Drei
    5. Liselotte
    6. Shouko
    7. Raidou
    8. Takahi
    9. Akira
    10. Marie

    vane
    Reply

  23. All the voices in the preview are recognizable characters from this season, except for one. The third person to speak is a girl asking “You’re worrying about me?”. That’s the voice of a character we haven’t seen yet.

    I’m very certain that the person speaking is the princess of Dorssia, Liselotte, whose voice we’ve only heard as a child in a flashback.

    Tre
    Reply

  25. Haruto’s proposal, right out of gate confessed that he only willing to marry Saki because he raped her. Of course she going to reject you dumb A-hole, she doesn’t you to pity her when the only thing she want is for Haruto to recognized her as Saki Rukino and truly fell in love with her.Well hopefully next proposal, Haruto can truly fell in love with Saki.

    Another thing it look like Haruto founded a “empire”, I wonder why a empire though? Haruto doesn’t seem like the type to go around conquering people.

    Fay
    Reply

  26. A Super Sayan well versed in the art of keikaku dori?Now THAT’s what I call a Last Boss!(even if he might not turn out to be)Don’t worry L-Elf,there’s always next time…Seriously thought,you’d better worry and more importantly,devise a keikaku to out-keikaku the keikaku dori master(with added hax)!

    I do disagree with one thing though,which is:

    One thing that really jumps out, though, is just how great it was to see Saki step up for herself and her rejection of Haruto’s guilt-driven proposal was hardly a surprise – not to mention very much in character!

    Stepping up for herself is in her character but I don’t think the way she did it this time is.Saki was always shown as this selfish yet self-dependent girl that did not hesitate to do what was necessary when the situation called for.It would be completely in her character to use the rape as an excuse – not to mention that she had the right to do so as well.Besides,Haruto could come to love her as they move along with their relationship.Saki’s my favorite female character in Valvrare as well and while I find her interesting the way she is,any changes for the better(and even for the worst) are fine as long as they’re done through actual character development,not inconsistencies.

    But anyway,congrats on series nr.2 completed on RC,Seishun.You were really fitting for such an entertaining,over the top one such as this just like you were for Hyakka Ryouran – it’s like you arrived at the right time!Now do your best on Highschool DxD to keep us entertained until the October pls 😛

    MgMaster
    Reply

    1. Thanks MgMaster, you’re making me blush >.< I'll do my best for High School DxD, and I hope you'll find something to like too! Hooray for another Saki fan! I don't think she'll take the easy way out in this relationship though - that's not her character. She tries her best and she's not afraid to deal with the consequence, but she's not about to take any sort of perfunctory courtesy as a resolution and I wouldn't want her to 😉

      Seishun
      Reply

  27. Nice to see that even in the faraway future in a completely out of context scene, Saki is still the best girl.

    A lot of students died horribly this episode. Hope that independence movement was worth it kids! Got to love how the only way to make a credible antagonist is the criteria “Better than L-elf”. The idea that Cain is loaded with even more BS predictions than his protege is hilarious. The SPACE VAMPIRE ILLUMINATI threw me in for a loop though especially with the knowledge that the ARUS President is part of it. (Thanks Space Obama!)

    Valvrave is silly, ridiculous, fun and awesome. Suffice to I’m quite interested on how this will turn out in October. Here’s hoping that it will keep being an enjoyable insane as it was here.

    P.S. Considering the hell Akira went through to save Shoko that means I can I ship AkiraxShoko right? RIGHT!?

    fragb85
    Reply

  30. Hmmm, I wonder if they’ll ever show the complete first season OP, with Akira as pilot of Valvrave 06?

    Maybe it’s something that will only be in the Blu-ray. Though what they could do is show the first season OP at the beginning of the first episode of season 2, then start the second episode with the new OP for the season. That would be pretty cool.

    Tre
    Reply

  32. It’s been such a fun series to watch and waiting for three months to find out what happens is going to be such torture. Definitely my favorite series of the season. L-elf’s “Dear god what is going on” face at the end was too good. So many questions about what’s happening and I can’t wait to learn the answers. So super excited for season two.

    Thanks for blogging this, Seishun. It was fun reading your coverage of it.

    Valvrave in SRW when? Harakiri Blade MAP attack! Preserved Roses default theme and Boku Janai unlocked during a big hero moment. Waffes as grunts and Ideal’s as named enemies during early stages. Who doesn’t want to Machine Gun Punch a Waffe? Make it happen, Banpresto!

    Zack
    Reply

    1. Same here I can’t wait for Valvrave to be in SRW. Let’s speculate. Harakiri attack will only be usable once Haruto hits the heat limit once and wait 3 turns unable to move for it to charge. Maybe they’ll make a normal version and a MAPW version of the attack like Turn A’s moonlight butterfly in Z.
      The other Valvraves will also get a turn limit, and the option to use the cooling sphere things after a certain event/timeskip.
      Golden Carmilla will have Bunshin/After Image, Saki will have an attack cutin with her chest bouncing and if Combattler is in they’ll get a YoYo combination attack. I so want to see this.

      Rockmanshii
      Reply

  33. I think at the end of Valvrave, there’s going to be a zombie apocalypse where everyone turns into immortal space vampires and proceed to conquer the galaxy until they meet a group of humans with the power of ROCK.

    Taiyo
    Reply

    1. Oh wow, that’s unexpected. I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Croos XD
      I try my best, but I’ll never be as good a writer as Enzo or Stilts. I’m a math graduate, writing is not exactly my strongest suit 😛

      Seishun
      Reply

      1. you may be a graduate of math but im finding your thesis on valvrave A! A only because you didnt catch the green lantern on the end, hehe, and no need to compare all of you are ridiculous writers with each your own unique brand of writing style. (i mean id hate for you to start writing all stiltsy with the double serious/ecchi meanings) stilts is enough with that! Kudos to him for the fun posts! hehehe

        n30nl16ht
        Reply

      2. Thanks n30nl16ht, an “A” is good enough for me 😉
        I’ll be blogging DxD this season. You’ll get to experience my “seishun-writing” then if you haven’t been following Hyakka Ryouran 😛

        Seishun
        Reply

  37. Saki is definitely more mature than many of us thought, she rejected Haruto gently because she knew it was his own guilt trip. Still, can’t exclude their ship sailing away since she is there after 200+ years and no sign of Shoko.
    Oh my… We have for the first time L-11 out-matched and out-maneuvred time after time. Enemy taking use of the VVV weak pint of overheating was simple yet clever. To find he thinks Haruto’s advice useful made me think that either he is running out of options or Haruto has been growing combat acumen…
    Akira getting out of her hikikomori shell and starting combat-hacking enemy mechs, was as predicted, but still excellently done. Beware the wrath of the nerd!
    But as usual greatest bombshell is set off at the very end – Cain is a Magius himself and immensely powerful one – and he pairs with “unoperational” VVV 02, to astonishment of enemies and allies alike…
    What a cliffhanger!!!! grr almost wants to go ahead in time to second season…

    ewok40k
    Reply

  38. This is – CODE GEASS…. in space >_>

    I must say i’m quite content how the show kept running. From one train wreck to another. Starting from space vampires to Space Prussian (Dorssian could be the future Eurasian Dynasty – watch you beck or they invade you ;-p), from slightly yaoi elements “ERU Erufu” to slightly consen rape – this show got highs on all ends.

    Whats better than explosions? EXPLOOOOSIONS!

    LeDo
    Reply

  39. So that’s that for this season: sequel hooks, weird Haruto X L-Elf kid(hoping he’s the MC next season), VVV-tan’s, human-hating Onii-chan, gas-spewing drills and Cain going super saiyan.

    Not to mention Saki turned down Haruto’s proposal. Now that was cool. Every SakiXHaruto shipper I know went “WHAT?!?”, with some just dropping the show out of disgust. I think it’s safe to say that the writers don’t actually have any plans to ship someone with Haruto(and Shoko is presumably dead now).

    Wow, when Sunrise wants to end a season, they do it with “you ain’t seen shit yet, kid”. 10/10.

    TheMoondoggie
    Reply

  40. Valvrave Valvrave Valvrave…so much mixed feelings about this anime… As much as I want to enjoy this anime, there is just so much to talk about. It’s going to be a long post, so I know most of you won’t even finish reading this, but here I go anyways.

    I got to be honest, ever since the first episode, I had mixed feelings about this show. I know that what I’m about to say will get a lot of heat for it, but I still got to say it. The anime is overly flawed and unprepared. The problem lies with the fact that Sunrise is the production company behind it. Sunrise, as many of you know, was bought by Bandai quite some time ago. As a result, plastic model sales are prioritized. This generates a huge problem. Sunrise and Bandai have the resources and material, such as skilled and experienced people who can produce top notch quality animes, however due to their large fan base, they rush everything into production. This way they could test out the waters with all of the shows and see what type of audience likes and slowly drift the story to that direction. We’ve seen it time and time again , with shows like Code Geass and Gundam 00. For CG, they shifted the broad casting time to attract the younger audience, so the violence was toned down. For 00 S2, they through in more relationship and emotions into the character.
    Sure this is a viable marketing strategy, but it corrupts what the show was intended for.
    My first impression from the PV of Valvrave was that it was going to be some what serious and ‘mature’. So my mood coming in to watch, like what Enzo said, was just simple and fun. However after the first few episode, I’ve noticed the problem with the show.
    It’s inconsistent and directionless.

    [To this point I will start comparing some parts of this show with Code Geass (CG). I understand Valvrave is its own anime on its own, but there are just too many similarities (besides the fan services such as the seiyuus) that I can’t stop myself from comparing when I’m watching the show.]

    Obviously, Ichirō Ōkouchi has a general idea of what the world of Valvrave will be like. Just like CG, there is a world with nations in conflict, and a group related to supernatural powers that see above all. I don’t mind Ichirō Ōkouchi to reuse some of these concepts, in fact I like it, because this concept of politics, super abilities, young teens rebelling, mixed together is a very rare and hard concept to pull off. The problem with this show lies within character personalities and their setup. From the beginning of the show it presents that a bunch of teenagers, who are arrogant, immature, ignorant enough to stop against two of the world’s largest nation, with little to no clue what they are going against and using. So, my first impression of this is that is just like CG, but more fantasied and well suited for younger audience. The personalities of the characters don’t fit the situation, as a result, I often see two paths that the show has taken, either the plot is dumb down to suit the characters, or the characters go out of their own characters, take a 180 degree swing, just for the sake of the plot. I understand since Sunrise rushed to produce the show, the characters would end up like this.

    Then the rape scene came along. With the weeks leading up to that episode, obviously Ichirō Ōkouchi and mainly Sunrise, saw that a lot of the audience having mixed feelings about the show. The atmosphere of the show was starting to change into more serious and mature, which in my opinion just messed this anime up even more, because now it even more directionless. Obviously the rape scene was already planned out from the beginning, which I thought was actually a pretty good plot device, because ‘rape’ is something that was never really touched upon in an anime, especially from a company that have such wide audience. However my problem with that scene was not with the ‘rape’ itself, but rather the decision to show it so vividly. There was absolutely not need to show something like this because of the wide range of audience it gets. The second problem with this scene where Enzo in the podcast made it very clear is that it sent out the message that as long as you’re raping someone that loves you, it’s fine to do it. I didn’t comment on that week’s episode because I wanted to see how people reacted. Unfortunately, most people said ‘oh it’s not rape, because Haruto was not himself and his was unconscious.’ Here’s the problem, the second message that scene sent out was as that as long as your unconscious, and you rape someone even if you don’t intend to in the beginning it’s fine also. That gives the excuse to let people think that if I’m under the influence of alcohol or drug, it’s fine because I was not conscious when I did it. The older and more mature audience would get that scene, but there are young teens watching this that are in their prime of puppetry, and would think that something like this is fine. This is why I strongly disapprove of how vivid the scene was shown. I was disappointed with the lack of censored scenes used to represent what’s going on in the situation; a luxury that only animation can do because it allows the audience who knows what’s going on to understand the situation, while the others who are a little bit oblivious can think otherwise. Though I do give props to how the script writers dealt with Haruto’s reaction in dealing with the aftermath.

    Now back to this week’s episode. The mood and direction of this week’s episode was good, except for the setup to the Valvrave VI’s character. This brings me back to the problems with the characters in this anime. The lack of production time causes most of these characters to have personalities that we see being reused time and time again in typical anime these days. For example, Haruto’s character is the typical weak and quite type of guy, but somehow gets all the chicks and become the hero of the show. I understand it’s because this is a way for Otakus to fantasies about their life, but for most part, there characteristics don’t match the situation. Maybe I’m comparing to much with the CG characters where their character personalities and eventual demise was planned out for years before it went into full production plus I’m tired of these type of characteristics constantly being reused into animes, because for a fact, it’s not healthy for the already dying industry. There was no reason for the series composer to put Valvrave VI’s character to receive her mech in this episode, because I know for a fact that she’s going to be just a secondary character like Thunder and Inu, who’s going to get there one episode shine and done. I don’t understand why they didn’t setup the last one to receive the Valvrave be Rukino. This would have made more sense because it’s an important episode and someone more deserving should be taking this spot of receiving the last Valvrave (revealed to date).

    There’s no way for the writers to pull this show back, because the stain is already there with the poor character setup. However, I am still looking forward for season two. I just hope this is where they start closing all of the stories that Ichirō Ōkouchi opened for us.

    Just A Random Guy
    Reply

  41. Best scene in the episode for me was…

    Akira: “SUPERMARKET!!!” *Dives forward*

    She then manages to break out of her shell (figuratively and literally), and turns “Boku Ja Nai” into her power-up theme-song.

    foureyeszerosoul
    Reply

  42. So I spent the whole day collecting my thoughts on what happened and.

    – There’s a HUGE chance Cain might eventually switch sides – we know nothing of his motives and Haruto’s “country” has his symbol, so it might be that he is set up to be the “Well intentioned extremist” kind of person seeking the survival of his race. THat would also explain how Golden Seven is possible if he has VVV2 and his mark being in the flashforward this episode.
    – Shouko is so turning evil at some point S2. Her and L-Elf most likely will end up taking over Dorssia and then unifying majority of nations under one banner. THe question remains on why would they then go against the “Golden Seven”. Vampires versus Human war?
    – Saki is pretty much 100% confirmed to be the lead heroine and narrator of the show, considering everything there’s no doubt both the writers and the fandom prefer her as well as saki/haruto. Then there’s the fact that in japanese polls Saki IS the most popular character of the show(followed by L-Elf and Haruto, which is uprising as I never thought Japan would appreciate flawed characters like him). I expect her screentime to increase even more in S2.

    Unknown Voice
    Reply

  44. Valvrave concludes its first season with the best it has to offer, from mecha action, interesting character drama, crazy plot developments, and more mysteries than you can throw a Harakiri blade at!

    First and foremost, I’m really surprised at how little our hero and his unit actually got to do in the finale. Haruto was stuck following L-Elf’s lead and wasn’t able to stand out as much as he has before, the best he could do amounting to trying in vain to stop Cain, who barely even acknowledged his existence. And the most Valvrave I contributed was firing its vulcans at Cain, for all the good it ultimately did. Still, judging from the preview of season 2, it sounds like Haruto will have plenty of chances to step up to the plate as he tries to end the curse and Valvrave I gets itself an upgrade.

    I think it’s reasonable to say that the true star of this finale was Akira. Her developing friendship with Shoko gave her the strength she needed to step out of her little den and start really living. If anyone was going to give me hope in humanity and friendship, I can see it being Shoko. I really liked how the show expressed her extreme reluctance to go outside, which made her push to get out all the more poignant. And lo and behold, she should conveniently find Valvrave VI, which immediately began turning the tide of the battle, if only a little.

    Valvrave VI didn’t get that much screen time in comparison to the other Valvrave Units, and as such I feel we have yet to see its true potential, but what I did see was quite impressive. So far it doesn’t look like Valvrave VI will be just the support/healer type many pegged it for, especially with its weapon. Being able to hack into enemy machines with just a whack of her staff and a little hacking gives Akira control of opposing units and lets her change the course of the battle in a much different and innovative way compared to the other Valvraves. Imagine what would happen if she was able to hack an Ideal! Still, there’s probably a lot more to Valvrave VI than we’ve seen so far, and I’m hoping to see more from it in season 2.

    Saki rejected Haruto’s proposal, which I both expected and to a degree hoped for. She denied any chance of a relationship between the two by flaunting her status as an idol who can’t be tied down, but if her reaction afterwards are any indication, she was sorely tempted and still has feelings for him. But having Haruto marry her out of responsibility for something she doesn’t view as his fault, when he clearly loves someone else, is not how Saki wants to “win” him. Saki still loves Haruto though, and I imagine this fact will create a lot of tension in season 2. After all, I can’t see Saki being able to keep up her “idol” stance towards their relationship forever. With the love triangle presumably carrying over into season 2, I’m looking forward to seeing how it all plays out and if Haruto will ultimately choose someone. I’m expecting at least Shoko and Saki to be more aware of the fact that they’re love rivals. Shoko especially.

    I have to say, I was not expecting the lack of deaths that were present in the finale. Well sure, people died, but not any members of the main cast. Satomi even got to live and be an awesome brother all in one episode! I was also expecting the Valvraves vs. Ideals fights to be a bit more climactic and have at least one death, but evidently it looks like they’re saving that for season 2. I’m happy that the cast survived relatively unscathed in the finale, its just not what I’ve come to expect from Sunrise and Valvrave. They’re setting us up for something aren’t they?

    Cain was awesome in this episode, especially as he completely owned L-Elf in both tactics and physcial combat. I’d even go as far as to say that I thought the fight between L-Elf and Cain was the most exciting battle of the finale. And seeing L-Elf’s poker face crumble to pieces was satisfying for a number of reasons. And lo and behold, the Valvrave in the tube turns out to be Valvrave II. I was wrong on the number, but right on the pilot. I have to wonder if II actually has a body or if the energy limbs are its true power.

    We have mysteries piled upon mysteries in this episode. OS-Tan can talk and has a sibling named Blue who hates humans. Haruto and the Valvrave pilots are apparently Third Generation Magius’. And then there’s the time skip, which just piles on the mysteries with the L-Elf/Haruto child, Saki with the Magius mark, and the Third Reich apparently having been founded by Haruto. Would it have killed them to have given us at least a few answers, especially when they only have 12 more episodes to conclude the show? Let’s not forget the Liselotte plotline, I’m surprised it never factored at all into the finale.

    The Magius look to be the true villains of the show, and are controlling the entire universe in secret. And if Haruto is taking them on to end the curse once and for all, it looks like the preview will live up to its words of Valvrave being a system that will reveal the truth of the world.

    All in all, Valvrave has proven to be an enjoyable and entertaining roller coaster ride, and the same can be said for its season finale. I’d like to commend Seishun’s stellar job blogging it and I can’t wait for its return in October!

    Frontier
    Reply

    1. Thanks Frontier, I try my best and I’m glad you like my work. I had loads of fun reading your comprehensive reviews, it’s not often we get walls of text in the comment section week after week consistently 😉
      I like to think Haruto harbors some feelings for Saki too. He’s probably as conflicted about the whole thing as Saki – Shouko is his childhood crush and he clearly loves her, but Saki is his confidante, the person who shares his deepest and darkest secrets with. It’s a tough choice to make and I certainly wouldn’t want to be in his shoes XD

      Seishun
      Reply

  45. Well, I’m more curious about Saki’s future. That boy looked like L-elf. Their son? She mentioned the founder is someone related to the module (77). It could be Haruto or L-elf. They both found out about the Magius at the same time. L-elf seems more of a founder than Haruto is terms of ingenuity. I suspect Haruto dies in the next series perhaps by Cain if things get wrapped up. The Magius is almost like Logos from the Gundam Seed series moving behind the scenes but more powerful like C2’s race from Code Geass. The only thing is who are the beings in the Valvrave and how they are related to the Magius. It’s almost like they are enslaved in the Valvrave since the brother hates humans. I must have missed the crest of Haruto’s family when looking to see who’s in charge of the empire. For it to have spread intergalactic in a short time seems incredible. Can’t wait for the next season to come. Hurry.

    Primalmatrix
    Reply

      2. Well, I watched the episode subbed, and I read classmates and heard the word “nakama” spoken. Nakama doesn’t necessarily mean classmate–more like comrade or friend, but it could be inferred that way (and I’m assuming the official sub has it translated this way on purpose) from the context. Seeing as L-11 doesn’t really have any “nakama” among the students that died on Module 77, it’s safe to say that the founder is more likely Haruto or maybe even Shouko, but I doubt it.

        Annyms
        Reply

  49. Of course you have right but the story is based on haruto and L-elf, that empire and the child are proof of the union of their friendship and fights. The child must be a descendant of children of L-elf and haruto

    Oz
    Reply

  50. http://i39.tinypic.com/2m7uv5f.jpg

    My reaction this week was A-Drei’s.

    Nothing got resolved. Little was revealed. Akira spent too much time getting into the robot thus stealing the moments which should be devoted to L-Elf vs Cain outkeikaku battle. What is wrong with L-Elf anyway? He gets owned so easily as if he never anticipated going against his former teacher. Cain didn’t even need to try. Seriously, L-Elf, your E grade was well-deserved. Now you cannot graduate. And why didn’t Haruto try to bite Cain? Haruto, you tried to overpower a man 199cm tall by pushing him? Does your foolishness know no bounds? It’s as if you two are begging to be killed! (I know, Haruto won’t die when killed and stuff.)

    On another note, now I’m getting a morbid urge to have L-Elf gouge his left eye out and present it to A-Drei on a silver plate as a token of apology. How much of a filthy traitor can you be Ham-Elf!? You trampled on the trust of a person who considered you their best friend! That A-Drei turned totally yandere is your and your alone fault! Quick, take out that eye of yours already!

    Since the supposedly unbeatable chuuni duo took the exam in a state not even close to being sober, I’m totally rooting for Cain right now. (Colonel Cain for the headmaster of Hogwarts!) And A-Drei, as always.

    You left me with little to feed on over the summer, Sunrise. My rage is still not dying away.
    Oh, and here’s a bonus: http://postimg.org/image/4o7i8ot5r

    Thank you, that is all.
    All hail Dorssia!

    SherrisLok
    Reply

  52. Overall, this was a pretty enjoyable episode. They managed to have so many plot twists that they didn’t have time for any face-palm worthy stupidity.

    As a finale though, not so good. We had too many overlapping plot points that all wanted attention and none ended up getting any resolution. Cliffhangers are fine, but at least wrap up part of the story first. Code Geass did that, Gundam 00 did that, etc.

    As for the story itself, I feel like we could’ve put in at least a little less into Akira’s plot line. Or at least saved it for next season. Mixing it in with Cain’s attack and revelations made the whole thing seemed really cluttered. Even if she may have social anxiety, the way she was rationalizing dying over going outside was just way to frustrating for me to feel bad about it.

    What I want to see next season:

    * The other 3 Dorrsian pilots get some character other than just “the bad guys”.
    * Kyuuma and Thunder get some actual character development instead of simply being spot-fillers
    * Haruto’s condition worsen and turn him into more of a beast (one slip up is not enough)
    * To NOT see how this happened: https://randomc.net/image/Kakumeiki%20Valvrave/Kakumeiki%20Valvrave%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2043.jpg (Seriously, is that supposed to be hot? Dammit Japan.)
    * To see Shouko grow the hell up
    * To see Akira grow the hell up
    * To see Saki grow the hell up
    * To see Haruto to grow the hell up
    * The Valvrave team have some actual scenes together that’s not just a group shot
    * The Valvrave team have some actual chemistry
    * More L-Elf.

    See you in October, folks!

    Da5id
    Reply

  53. There is so much wtf to talk about.

    You think hax is your ally? You’ve merely adopted it, I was born in it! When you have a haxor like L-Elf playing Call of L-Elf all over Module 77 get manhandled by Cain who is obviously playing Battlefield Cain edition, the level of hax just goes off the charts. Not to mention his Devil Gundam Valvrave and OS-Kun. Speaking of OS-Kun, he probably hates humans because of Magius, I would guess that it’s partially their fault anyways.

    Then you have badass Shouko Connor doing some platforming and trying to inspire the closet badass Akira to leave her Girl Cave. After I saw that flashback of their first meeting I noticed something, Shouko was clearly staring at dat ass! Robots hacking robots, I thought Akira’s Valvrave was going to use some type of magic based on its appearance in the OP, but nope, its using science!

    The epilogue, omg the teaselogue, November for Season 2?!

    Speaking of the epilogue, there’s a lot of double NTR going on in those scenes. Carmilla gets raped too?! Leave Saki aloooooone! In the beginning of the episode, we got a timeskip with a L-elf looking child and an older Bishoujo Saki. We got Saki in a scene with Cain and L-elf putting the Dorssia Uniform on. In the Epilogue, we see Krim and H-Neun got caught doing “something” by the Blue Haired dude (I still don’t know his name and the asshole red haired kid).

    So many plot twists and explosions from this series, M Night and Michael Bay would be proud XD.

    Magoiichi
    Reply

  55. The end remind me of Fate Zero S1 ending when the good parts are just coming it was cut same here last minute revelation in the end & a very interesting clip of S2 which is going to be all out climax!

    I still wonder what the future Saki is I mean the place she is living & the kid might be L-elf great grandson? If the time she stays is what they have founded then its going be an interesting battle. I wonder if Haruto will mature in S2 on the other hand L-elf will have alot of emoton out burst base from the clips….

    lune
    Reply

  56. So much discussion and so much to digest!! 🙂

    Thanks Seishun for blogging about the show this season! 🙂 You did a fantastic job!

    I guess for that speculation we just have to wait till October to see if any of them come true….:)

    mianghuei
    Reply

  57. Saki didn´t want Haruto to marry her out of guilt, she clearly loves him so she wnats that he develop pure feeling for her as well. I still see a future for those two, I pretty sure they´ll end up together; Haruto has started to see Saki in a different light and I don´t think he´ll give for just one rejection and I don´t know about you guys but that kid might have L-elf´s hair but the the face and blue eyes are all Haruto´s. And finally, the tender way Saki speaks of the Founder and his lost comrades in Module 77 makes me think she indeed marry him, we´ll to wait and see in october.

    haseo0408
    Reply

  58. Goddammit Sunrise… just… goddammit…

    HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT FOR OCTOBER NOW WHEN YOU GOT ME ALL HYPED TO SH*T!!!!!!!

    *deep breaths*

    Anyways, I thought of something pretty funny (or at least I thought so). So far, Valvrave has shown a penchant to do shout-outs to previous mecha series. Now… what if the “preview” is actually a shout-out to Evangelion 2.0’s preview for 3.0 where absolutely none of the scenes shown were actually in the final product. I’m not gonna put any of my eggs in that basket, but I did find the possibility intriguing.

    In the end, I’d have to say that Valvrave was a good, but not great show. I found the last few episodes really stepped up and if that’s anything to go by, season 2 should be much better. I’ll give major props to Okouchi Ichiro though. He manages to actually make you care about the characters. It’s basically gotten to the point where I think most people are watching it just for characters and the plot is secondary, pretty much like Code Geass.

    On one final note, grats Seishun. Your coverage of Valvrave was always a fun read and I look forward to following your shows in the future. I said it in the Hataraku Maou-sama 13 post, but you and Kairi were great additions to the RC team.

    I’ll be seeing you next in oppai heaven Seishun. I look forward to it.

    Kuntzy
    Reply

    1. Thanks Kuntzy, it’s readers like you that makes our effort worth it!
      You’re absolutely right. The story is amazing, but what makes Valvrave especially stand out is the characters – Saki is my personal favorite but you probably know that already 😛

      Seishun
      Reply

    1. It doesn’t necessarily have to be said to be true. Sometimes it’s glaringly obvious alone just by the interactions we see them have together.

      I don’t pretend to know for a fact that she’s in love with him, but it’s definitely implied that it’s heading in that direction. It doesn’t really matter anyways, because it’s evident that she will in fact fall in love with him.

      Diyedas
      Reply

  60. Did anyone else notice that at the beginning of the episode, the statues adorning the building Saki was staying at were the exact same as the insignia found on every Valvrave?

    This leads me to believe that Module 77 and its inhabitants were successful in creating their own independent nation with the Valvraves (and their pilots) as the heroes that led them to victory.

    I also strongly believe that Haruto is the “Founder” Saki mentions, and also the one hidden away in her pendant, but knowing this series I can be completely wrong. I just want to know about the promise she made 200 years ago and who she made it to. Season 2 come sooner!!! T^T

    pishposh
    Reply

  61. I’ll tell ya something kinda funny. A few years back I actually had a little idea for a story involving vampires and mechas. It was only a little fun thought that I wasn’t planning on pursuing any further because I had other ideas in mind and it seemed pretty ridiculous. (it still is)So my reaction to this was pretty funny. I like to joke that Sunrise stole my idea. XD

    I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I pressed the play button on episode 1. All I knew was that it was mecha so I was gonna watch it. From the very beginning I pretty much wrote it off as a trainwreck and that was it. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep watching it out of amusement or just drop it. A few times I almost did drop, but something kept me going. In the end I stuck with it and I’m glad because eventually it grew on me and I found it to be one of my favorites of the season next to Hataraku and Shingeki no Kyojin.

    Diyedas
    Reply

  62. VAAAAVLVRRAAAAVEEEEEE!!!

    This is the anime that I personally enjoyed blogging/reviewing the most even after losing plenty of sleep because of it. I don’t even think there’s a need to say “it’s over the top” or something along those lines. I mean, it’s just VALVRAVE. That’s all we really need to say.

    Anyways, Sunrise has impressed me by delivering surprise after surprise, reveal after reveal of pure awesome amazingness. I never thought from episode 1 that they would go so far, but they did. I don’t think I’ve been so hyped for a new season to come. Seriously. GET HYPEEEDDD!!!

    Of course a lot of it has to do with the reactions people have and the discussions. I’ll see you all on the next season.

    AOTYAYEY. This is…

    革命機 ヴァルヴレイヴ
    世界を暴くシステム

    KAKUMEIKI VALVRAVE
    SEKAI O ABAKU SHISUTEMU

    VALVRAVE THE LIBERATOR.
    THE SYSTEM THAT UNVEILS THE WORLD.

    UNTIL NEXT SEASON! PEACE OUT!

    Entrav
    Reply

      1. Nothing accomplished? I wouldn’t go that far. Sure, there are lots of points still missing, but comparing it to Code Geass or Gundam 00 like you did above is quite unfair considering Valvrave only has 12 episodes to work with while the others had twice that. Hell, I’m surprised they’re even ending it in just one more season.

        Now if they don’t do that by the second season, that’ll be a problem. However, with only 12 episodes, I think Valvrave does a fine job.

        Entrav
        Reply

      2. I said ALMOST nothing (Akira activating the last Valvrave being their only actual accomplishment). And even with 12 episodes, they could’ve NOT ended the show on a cliffhanger. Finishing their first battle with Cain would’ve been a great way to end the season conclusively…but they went this route and now everything’s just up in the air for 3 months. Even just one more episode could’ve fixed this.

        Da5id
        Reply

      3. What’s to say that they’ll even fight in the first place? With Module 77 destroyed and an unknown enemy in front of them, they may just flee to the Moon as it’s close or get away some other way. But even if they do, that’ll still be a cliffhanger. How are they even supposed to end it “conclusively?” Cain captures them? L-Elf sacrifices himself? Whatever they do, because the anime is not over, it’ll still be a cliffhanger.

        I’m not even sure how you’re stating whether something is an “accomplishment” or not. Giving us an idea of who the real antagonists are is not an accomplishment? Even the character development between Saki and Haruto? What about Cain? What about the mysteries surrounding the Valvraves and the two A.I.? If you’re saying that the above is just teasers and not “accomplishments” then I have to wonder why you would even care about “accomplishments” when the anime isn’t even over. Shows are not going to give you the answers right away and with good reason.

        Hell, I think Code Geass’ R1 season end cliffhanger is more of a cliffhanger than Valvrave’s. Just because Code Geass tied some loose ends with the amount of episodes it has doesn’t mean much when it ends like that. Well, when we’re talking about cliffhangers that is. At least Valvrave makes me anticipate the next season without going “Dude, that was a dick move.”

        Entrav
        Reply

      4. They could still at least finish the invasion. You don’t need to wrap up EVERYTHING but at least wrap up what you’re doing at the moment. Cain could escape with the Valvrave, the kids make it to the moon and settle in, all the Valvrave pilots meet up, everyone reflects on this new turn of events and how everything’s changed since the beginning of the story, the villain’s plot their next move, season over. (which they did with the Magius thing, but that could’ve waited till the whole invasion ended). It’s only a cliffhanger if it ends in the middle of a drastic situation and leaves it unfinished. The ending of Gundam 00 wasn’t a cliffhanger because it wrapped up the current conflict and left it open.

        How did we get any idea who the main antagonists are? We know they’re evil and mysterious, but that’s about it. Plus the reveal comes right the hell out of nowhere. Same with Cain’s powers and the new OS-Tan. Simply pulling things out of your ass and suddenly introducing all these new factors doesn’t accomplish anything, it just makes the whole situation more confusing (hence the “WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON” joke that’s going around). Also, what development between Haruto and Saki are you talking about?

        And yes, Code Geass had a major cliffhanger for the end of its first half, but it still worked with what it had instead of just cramming in a ton of new material like Valvrave did. The only new factor they introduced was V.V. and really, that was all they needed to. They didn’t jam in the stuff about the Geass Order, or the fact that Charles had a Geass, or have an arbitrary cameo of Rolo or the Knights of the Round to just say “hey! these guys exist!” They used the tools at their disposal, which is what Valvrave should’ve done.

        Da5id
        Reply

    2. The way I see it the first season feels like an origin story told in the vein of that story Saki was relaying to that kid all along, albeit they had to do it for 5-6 characters.

      Kaioshin Sama
      Reply

  65. I…. I just don’t know what to say…. Just…

    L-Aruto child? – WHAT THE HELL HARUTO? WHAT THE HELL?
    Saki says no silly boy – seems legit…
    Shouko doesn’t die – WHY U NO DIE?! HOW ARE YOU DODGING THESE DEATH FLAGS?
    Cain ain’t human – seems legit…
    Onii-chan!! – WHY IN THE HELL ARE YOU BOUNCING YOUR TITTIES?!
    200 year time skip – seems legit…
    2nd season in October – sunrise, you sick sadistic effing bastards…

    Axel
    Reply

  66. Well, the least we can say is that the flashforward +200 years into the future at the start of the episode put death flags on an unbelievable number of people…actually, will anyone survive season 2 events beside Saki…?
    ‘The founder’ seems to be Haruto considering what she said about him loosing a lot of comrades/friends, then should we assume he survived long enough to actually establish a new human society on a distant planet or was he called a founder only for starting it all/winning against their enemies and dying doing so (meaning the survivors built a new life on his sacrifice?)
    As for the looks of the kid, sincerely, no idea: his hair color is indeed similar to L-Elf but the likeliness stops there, if you ask me, he might even be completely unrelated to anyone we know?
    October certainly feels far ways right now…

    sherry
    Reply

    1. We can 100% count on anyone not-VVV-piloting to die old before the flash-forward. “In the long term we are all dead.” – THE BIGGEST DEATH FLAG EVER. Maou – or if you prefer, any of her maids – will give you some warm food, if you will know the author of it!

      ewok40k
      Reply

    2. I’m expecting season 2 to be littered with scenes of future Saki with no sign of anyone else. Then in the epilogue, out of nowhere, Haruto shows up and says “Honey I’m home”. And they all lived happily ever after.

      Hey, I’m allowed to dream, no matter how corny it is.

      Kuntzy
      Reply

  72. Season finale had so many WTF’s by the end that I honestly have no idea what to make of a lot of things at this point. There was some foreshadowing sure especially with Cain but this episode really threw a lot of things in a loop with the Valvrave and the true nature of the conflict that needed a lot more than what the viewer was let in on. There are plotholes in a few places due to this but it’s Valvrave so I guess I can’t complain too much. Main characters are fine. Dorssians were left out in a lot of the plot though. We don’t really know those guys or their country. L-elf could’ve shown us what Dorssia was like. A-drei was ok as a character and Cain is some mysterious figure as of now. First season could’ve been better but it was a fun watch.

    saywut
    Reply

    1. What plot holes? Why does nobody ever describe the plot holes when they claim they are there and apparent? Do people think plothole means stuff that hasn’t been fully explained yet? I’m starting to suspect.

      Kaioshin Sama
      Reply

      1. I totally agree. Its like its easy for them to say that there was so many “plot holes” Like wow are you sure mate. But anyways, Obviously Valvrave was sticking to its story line a supernatural mecha show that everyone seems not to comprehend at first. And Sunrise was taking this one so lets take good patience and enjoy the ride because Its the Gaddamn SUNRISE! the one who created the Fucking GUNDAM FRANCHISE!

        Galactic bear love
        Reply

      3. AGE is the only Gundam show since Turn A Gundam I can recall to have not done that well reception wise upon release in Japan so I think that statement rings quite false. If you’re talking about the whiny butthurt Western fandom that’s another story entirely. Gundam isn’t winning that battle no matter what it does and to be honest I couldn’t care less cause it’s mostly just people being ridiculous and petty.

        Other than that I agree it’s a separate issue.

        Kaioshin Sama
        Reply

  73. It made it looked like Valvrave will have something like this:
    First Part – Was currently aired this season.
    Second Part – Conclusion of the first part on how Haruto and Co founded the new empire.
    —- 200 Years After —-
    Third Part – Introduction of the future probably a new Shinn protagonist
    Fourth Part – Show conclusion (probably a Movie, OVA or normal tv series)

    Reason: normally sunrise mecha show has 40+ episodes. Code Geass, Gundam, Daimos, Armored Trooper WAIT IM THAT OLD ALREADY!?!?!?

    If there won’t be a season after 200 years (hey, I want to see elegant-Rukino again) then what was the relevance of that part of the story?

    Ungas123
    Reply

    1. I wouldn’t mind seeing multiple seasons of Valvrave – I doubt it’ll happen, but we can always hope
      I’m a huge fan of VOTOMS – that’s a must-watch for every mecha fan. +50 Seishun Points for you, my good sir 😉

      Seishun
      Reply

      4. If there was anything to say about it other than “it’s like Dragon Ball Z but with comedy”, I’d follow a blog of it too.

        Man, I miss Super Kami Guru. NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLL

        Da5id
        Reply

    2. I don’t think it’ll last for more than two cour. But you’re right, there’s so much potential in the story – I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing a Gundam-like 50-episode format for Vavlrave 😉

      Seishun
      Reply

      1. I don’t think so. Somebody would have noticed sooner or later since his job is a 24/7 one. Wouldn’t it be a fun trip if Haruto’s mother’s name was Abel and she was the one who made Unit I into what it is (including the pilot having vampire seizures).

        SherrisLok
        Reply

  77. I think the show is great, though I still wouldn’t give it more than a 5 or a 6/10 due to one part of the show that made the whole story sound crap. If I ignore that episode the show is good.

    Mi-Chan
    Reply

  79. I don’t really comment all that often, but I do want to say good job covering this show. I look forward to hearing your recaps, thoughts and discussions for season 2!

    Excoriation
    Reply

  80. Well done on completing this show as well Seishun. Onwards to the next season of Valvrave.
    The show is just there to be enjoyed, to dissect it any further would diminish the initial effect.

    Saki’s thighs are delish eh? Aha. More and more of your fetishes being known to the world. heh.

    Had a lot to make up and read since the comment on Hyakka Ryouran;s finale, was away from home. 🙂

    Dunn
    Reply

    1. Thanks for your kind words, you’re making me blush >.< Those class-S thighs were such a marvel! I have quite a handful of fetishes, it'll take me a while to share all of them 😛

      Seishun
      Reply

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