First Impressions / Kakumeiki Valvrave

Episode 16

Episode 17

Episode 18

「マリエ解放／情報原子(RUNE)の深淵／父の願い」 (Marie Kaihou / Jōhō Genshi (Rune) no Shin’en / Chichi no Negai)
“Marie Released” / “The Abyss of the Runes” / “A Father’s Wish”

The Magius is an organization which is riddled in mystifications and secrets – we’ve known that for quite some time now and it looks like their various entanglements will become increasingly pertinent to the big-picture narratives. Their wild ambition hasn’t been spelled out in black-and-white, and I don’t think it is merely that of a simple world-domination – after all, the Magius already has two of Earth’s foremost economic powers at their mercy and the extra mile that they’re treading upon must entail a much grander motive! For some unknown intrigues, the Magius is harvesting Runes from living human beings, and there’s probably a connection between that and their legion of mecha armies –the Valvrave’s kodomotachi which is currently in gestation. Colonel Cain, or whoever he may be, is front and center in this conspiracy. Evidently, he is not the same war hero whom H-neun once knew and the same mysterious individual is apparently leading the charge in preparation for a certain ritualistic initiation – one that, presumably, implicates both Prue and Pino, and perhaps even the Dorssian Princess! Lieselotte (Toyosaki Aki) has unfortunately found herself intertwined with the Magius’ affairs, and there’s a good chance that she could be used as a leverage against L-elf in the incoming showdowns! Interestingly enough, the pinked-haired maiden appears to be somewhat cognizant of the Magius’ inner workings – there’s probably more to her “steamy” physical torment than meets the eyes, and it’s not entirely clear what the vampiric schemers have in store for L-elf’s inamorata! “Allow me to abduct you!” – the reunion between L-elf and Lieselotte was certainly a long-time-coming, and it was every bit as affecting and as theatrical as one might imagine. L-elf, or better known as Michael, has never ceased to amaze me with his uber badasseries – that, combined with his brimming sentimentality and the excellent BGM, has brought the dramatic flair of Kakumeiki Valvrave to a whole new level! Evidently, this rescue mission is not going to be an easy endeavor, and you can be sure Colonel Cain is not going to sit back and let L-elf run amok in his own backyard.

Colonel Cain has always been at the top of his game – he was able to outmaneuver the prophetic L-elf with seeming ease and not surprisingly, H-neun does not cut the mustard in this battle of wits as well! His brief confrontation with Cain has shed some light on some of the prevailing mysteries at hand and it was certainly not all for naught – H-neun has, without question, thrown a monkey wrench in the Magius’ plans and his intervention might a have also inadvertently saved X-eins’ (Hosoya Yoshimasa) life. Clearly, the Dorssian Royalist has a role to play in the incoming conflicts – both Kriemhild and H-neun already have a plan of their own set in motion and my gut tells me we haven’t seen the last of the jack-a-dandy bishie just yet! X-eins has good reasons to be leery of H-neun’s sudden disappearance – the magane bishie has tripped on a good number of death flags and it remains to be seen where his ultimate loyalty lies! The bishie pentad and their relationship dynamics continue to fascinate me to no end – A-drei’s flashback has given us a quick insight into their complicated past and you can be sure it was not a pretty sight! “If you are going to be killed, kill” – even as a kid, L-elf was up to his neck in ruthless brutality, and he is willing to do just about anything to get his own way, including murdering a confidant in cold blood. The oppressive regime that exists in Dorssia has never been more apparent – it was probably a train wreck to begin with and their various entanglements with the Magius have only made the overall establishment all the more convoluted.

L-elf’s seeming allegiance to Haruto is anything but straightforward – the unlikely cooperation between Haruto and L-elf is nothing short of a high-strung nerve-rack, and it doesn’t look like this is going to get any easier for either of them. The finger-pointing game can definitely work both ways – on one hand, we have Haruto who is genuinely perturbed by his role as a Valvrave pilot and on the other, there’s L-elf who wants to become one himself but simply can’t! L-elf’s merciless savagery is understandably distasteful to many out there – there’s still a lot about him that we don’t know, but as Haruto aptly pointed out, he has his own reasons to fight and Lieselotte’s well-being is presumably a big part of such conviction. Haruto’s backstory is certainly quite an eye-opener – like many other Sunrise mecha epic, there’s always a role for the rash and irresponsible adults, and Haruto’s father, Tokishima Souichi (Seki Toshihiko – who also voices the narrator), fits perfectly into that heinous part! Souichi is a thoroughgoing mad scientist – to the point of pompous comicality at times, and his manic eccentricity and the complete lack of any moral discernment is surely a bitter pill for Haruto to swallow.  Haruto is simply a nice guy who is trying to do the right thing and he is hardly the craven wimp that many make him out to be – in fact, Haruto rarely puts up with any bullshit and he is, more often than not, quick to make up his mind in the most crucial times! No one deserves a raging punch more than Souichi – the triple-V project has put many of them through hell and not surprisingly, Haruto is sticking to his guns on his intention to destroy the Valvraves! His ultimate objective has been laid bare, but it might not work out as seamlessly as he had hoped – we know for a fact that the Valvrave’s presence remained ubiquitous well into the distant future and it remains to be seen how their current pursuits will evolve over the next few episodes.

Marie is tragic figure through and through, and her agonizing past is a tale that wrings all of our hearts. For sure, her unfortunate demise was quite gut-wrench, but unlike Sakurai Aina’s piteous circumstance – Marie’s final moments did go over with a bang and she was every bit as badass as Haruto and L-elf in the battlefield! The Dorssians and their Magius counterparts have insofar been painted as the paramount villains – but Marie’s wretched fate and Tokishima sensei’s deplorable acts have also call into question the JIORian’s role in this furor of subterfuge and bloodshed. Evidently, JIOR’s neutral stance was nothing more than a sham – their foray into human experimentation and the various military exploits that prevail have introduced a whole new dimension of abstruseness to this high-level conspiracy! The suspense, drama and action-packed thrills have all been ratcheted up big-time in the latest episodes – the romantic subplot, however, has taken somewhat of a backseat and we’re nowhere closer to figuring out which of the two girls will eventually win through. Shouko’s physical presence may have become increasingly scarce – but her larger-than-life charisma has certainly been felt all through her absence, mostly as a subject of verbal exchanges, flashbacks and contemplations. Saki has probably made better inroads in the recent past, but make no mistake about it – Haruto’s childhood sweetheart remained very pervasive in his ken. He cares for both Shouko and Saki deeply, and Okouchi sensei is adamant on keeping the guessing-game going! Module 77 will apparently be coming under attack and without the Valvraves, it is nothing more than a sitting duck – Saki has also found herself caught up in quite a predicament and it goes without saying that Haruto will have a tough choice to make should he faces an either-or option. The beautiful idol just can’t seem to catch a break – Saki is seemingly fighting a lonesome war and I sure as hell hope Haruto will come to prove her wrong. A-drei is probably not going to let her off the hook that easy and she is bound to cross paths with Colonel Cain in the imminence – an ominous encounter that will surely lead to more woes, anguish and adversities for these complicated set of relationships!

Random tidbits:

  • Sorry for the delay in putting up this post – it looks like my second job has taken quite a toll on my free time and the recent Typhoon Haiyan certainly hasn’t made it any easier to cope. Random Curiosity has a good number of readers from the affected regions – I am following the relief and recovery efforts very closely, and my heartfelt sympathies go out to those who are affected by this devastating storm.
  • “She’s still missing, remember?” – Of course, I do! I am Saki’s biggest fan. I have to give my props to Haruto and Otamaya Yuusuke (Yoshino Hiroyuki) for being the only ones who seem to give a damn! The rest of the crew is dead to me.
  • “Shouko is counting on me and I have to find Rukino san as well” – It looks like Haruto hasn’t forgotten all about his childhood sweetheart! I’ll just pretend the first part of his utterance doesn’t exist. Saki will finally be returning to her own body in the coming episodes, woohoo!
  • “Compared to your life, this is trivial!” – A-drei is pretty kind to his subordinate. Lelouch would never think twice about letting a mere pawn die! A-drei was lucky (or unlucky) enough to steal a kiss from Saki – she probably doesn’t taste as delicious when she’s trap in a shota’s body. 
  • “You don’t look very tasty” – Haruto begs to differ! L-elf looks positively scrumptious. Om nom nom!
  • “I’m lonely too, let’s be friends” – is that why she’s always so horny? “Why are you so obsessed with sex?” – that would have been my first question for Pino!
  • “Is that Nunnally?” – Lelouch is not going to be pleased if he sees this! I wonder if there’s a blood kinship between A-drei and Lieselotte – the series hasn’t made any mention of their relationship.
  • “Prepare yourself then, I’m going to use you until you burn out!” – That sounds pretty kinky! Nobody other than Cain has managed to punch L-elf in the face – Haruto should just stop trying already!
  • “Q-vier, now departing for battle, Blitzendegen!” – It doesn’t look like Q-vier has grown at all over the years! He was a shota in the flashback and he is still a shota in the present.
  • Nanamin’s big jugs made a surprise cameo in one of Marie’s memory fragment! – Gosh, I miss her so much! Nanami Rion (Horie Yui) desperately needs more screen time.
  • Buttcrack spotted! – Colonel Cain makes a pettanko strips! Clearly, the “steam room” is not helping with her buxom development. Luckily for Lieselotte, L-elf likes them flat – his glorious NTR is not going to sit well with Cain!
  • I sure hope H-neun survives – Kriemhild was probably the one who saved him! She has tucked him away in her basement, tied him up, put on her latex skin-tight, bring out her whip and… wait, what were we talking about again?

tl;dr: @SeishunRC – Kakumeiki #Valvrave – 16–18: My name is Michael, please allow me to abduct you! The death toll continues to pile up as the many conspiracies start to unravel…. #Anime
 
Full-length images – Episode 16: 01, 02, 04, 11, 16, 17, 21, 24, 28, 32, 34, 36.
Full-length images – Episode 17: 03, 05, 09, 11, 14, 20, 22, 26.
Full-length images – Episode 18: 03, 06, 11, 14, 17, 22, 26, 36.

 

Preview

31 Comments

    1. Saki obviously got caught. To be honest, she should have just killed scar face when she had the chance. It feels rather frustrating how characters are given multiple chances to kill the enemy, only to mess up and then get into a rather sticky situation.

      L002
      Reply

  2. Having a mad scientisrt as father? Shinji, welcome new member to the club!
    I dont know what is worse, death by memory drain or being incarcerated as a battle machine engine…
    We have come to the point in the story when Alphanumeric squad is as much heros of the story as the school crew. And I like it!
    I am not sure of H-9 being dead until they show me his dead body, and considering the involvement of Magius, even then it would have to be beheaded, stake-thru-heart body…
    So, Kriemhild is Royalist working with Liselotte! Interesting, most interesting…
    Saki is one of the few characters that have plot armor courtesy of timeskip flash-forwards, but still I am very interested of her adventures with A-3.
    Q-4, always shota, always battle-thirsty!

    ewok40k
    Reply

    1. Haruto just can’t get a break, can he? First he gets mutated into an immortal, memory-sucking vampire, then he discovers he was mutated by his mad scientist father( with emphasis on mad. He doesn’t seem as sinister as that one from Evangelion).

      zztop
      Reply

  9. HURRRRRRRRRRRRSUNRISEHURRRRRRRRRRRR

    Great episode I guess. L-elf suffering was… really suffering. 10 years in the making and the girl just dies. That’s just cruel. Not to mention him getting all messed up really bad like that, made me remember Crisis Core.

    So now that Saki got the short end of the stick and A-drei witnessed body hijacking in action, it’s gonna be be interesting where it goes.

    megalith
    Reply

  11. I suspect that the Valvrave injection could be the key in unlocking the super genes of the Sakimori students.
    The vampire powers lie dormant within their DNA until they are injected, which activates their immortality powers(etc) on the cellular level.
    That could be why all the pilots were normal until they were injected.

    Pino and Prue are definitely key link in Dr Tokishima’s Project, so one wonders how he even got hold of them in the 1st place.

    zztop
    Reply

  12. ARUS seems to be becoming even more of a footnote in the proceedings. Their people seem to have no geniune idea of what’s actually happening, plus their President’s more concerned with preserving his greying rear from the Magius’s wrath.

    zztop
    Reply

  14. Valrave has really made of alot of nice twist to the story! Sad that marie died but she fought to project! I was surprise to find out that the master mind to the Valrave project was Haruto dad! Finally it clear the whole Valrave project & the students as test pilots. On the other hand L-elf is so damn the guy just run off to save his princess for someone who was always cold & those care for other (though his past those explain why he is like that) so sweet!^^

    I wonder what happened to H-neun did he died or he was used? Its still not clear what happened that night since the scene proves that there huge fight but did H-neun kill them? I hope that part get cleared….

    lune
    Reply

  16. Lisellote introduced from the very first opening sequence, yet only appeared once in one episode late in near the end of first season, and only appear briefly afterward for unimportant scenes. And now after 19 episodes she finally got major appearance, only to die.

    cryarc
    Reply

  18. I really want to believe H-neun will somehow return. Maybe possessed by the Magius? Show Spoiler ▼

    Jackpot21
    Reply

  19. ‘he is hardly the craven wimp that many make him out to be – in fact, Haruto rarely puts up with any bullshit and he is, more often than not, quick to make up his mind in the most crucial times’

    This is one of the things that I like about Valvrave. It’s like the writers purposely are avoiding (for the most part) the usual tropes that come with characters of Haruto’s type.

    raitei_shourai
    Reply

    1. I think it’s great because it seems to adhere more realistically to how we could actually expect a boy Haruto’s age to react to the things happening around him.

      As opposed to the “lost what am i do->ace fighter->such ego->emo->stone-cold 15 years-old killer” route……ew.

      JelloIce
      Reply

    2. raitei and Jello summed up what I was supposed to say about Haruto. I’m a sucker for classical nice guys like him, and it kinda gives an unpleasant taste in my mouth when they are portrayed as spineless wimps, almost as if the writers behind them are telling us that you can’t be nice and expect to win, or at least be a “strong” person at the same time. I’m glad the writers are at least trying not to go the same route with him.

      lalunafelis
      Reply

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