Muv-Luv Alternative Episode 9, “Battlefield,” was an action-packed episode which had the first major focus on mech battles and war plans. However, for this anime-only viewer, this was also the most confusing of the episodes so far and the one where I felt the most lost. Here’s my review. (Last week’s review was skipped due to the Thanksgiving holiday.)
Friendly reminder: I’m an anime-only viewer, so I’m sharing these reviews from the perspective of someone who hasn’t read the visual novels (but has done a little background research.)
Check out this #MuvLuvAlternative review of Episode 9 for anime-only viewers. Share on XThis is a Muv-Luv Alternative Episode 9 review. It will have spoilers for the episode, but since it’s anime-focused only, it contains no visual novel spoilers.
It Seems There Are Lots of Shades of Grey in This Civil War & No Clearcut ‘Good vs Evil’
Ever since Episode 7, I’ve really been wanting this show to return to Shirogane’s original world. I find it so fascinating to compare where he originated to where he is now. (And I have some theories that his homeworld Kouzuki was involved in an experiment that caused him to become “untethered” and float from timeline to timeline.
But none of that was discussed in this week’s episode. Instead, we dove headfirst into a crazy civil war type battle. The battle plans, which they discussed in detail, went over my head. And I’m still not 100% clear on the reasons why they’re fighting. (But I did laugh when Shirogane referred to it as stupid human fighting.)
Apparently, the American forces are fighting on the side of Shirogane’s team, who is out to protect the Shogun from the rebel forces (who are also quite strong, as it turns out.) The American forces are fighting with the UN to maintain the status quo in Japan. That status quo includes mass evacuations if civilians from volcanos and BETA attacks. But those evacuations, unfortunately, are not providing for the livelihood of the civilians once they’re taken from their homes.
The rebel forces are apparently worried that America is going to eventually control the UN and not really care about Japan at all. The Americans apparently already backed out when Japan was under BETA attack, rather than helping. Now there’s concern that they will ultimately just nuke Japan to destroy the BETA, without a care for who gets hurt in the process.
But, in this episode, Shirogane and his crew are on the side of the U.S. forces and the UN, and they’re fighting the rebels. It’s a messy battle, and the Shogun’s advisor and friend (Mikoto’s dad, Yoroi) even tells her that they can sympathize with the rebels, and the rebels’ motivation helps them remember that Japan is worth saving. So it seems like there are a lot of shades of gray in this civil war, and not a clearcut good-vs-evil side going on.
Maybe this was made most clear in that really funny quote: “English can eat shit, I repeat, English can eat shit.” 😆
This is what I’m gathering, as an anime-only viewer. It’s possible that I’m wrong or even getting the opposing sides mixed up. I’m likely missing out on a lot of nuance from not reading the visual novels. Like I said, quite a bit of this episode went over my head.
How Does the Anti-Alternative Faction Factor In?
At one point, Shirogane guesses that some of their battle plans were leaked by Ayamine, after he found her two episodes ago with “inspected” letters and confirmed she was a member of the Anti-Alternative Faction. I’m actually surprised that he didn’t turn her in. And this has left me wondering if the rebels and the Anti-Alternative groups are one and the same, or if they simply overlap in some of their goals.
I Enjoyed Shirogane’s Conversations with the Shogun
So most of this episode consisted of discussing war plans (which went over my head) and watching Shirogane race in his mech with the Shogun (Yuuhi) as his traveling companion. I really did enjoy hearing Shirogane and the Shogun talk. It turns out that she and Meiya are twin sisters. Interestingly, in the previous timeline and in his homeworld, Shirogane had no idea that Meiya had a twin sister.
This might be because, as the Shogun reveals, Meiya really doesn’t want much to do with her. She won’t accept her gifts. She won’t use the personalized mech. She doesn’t want special treatment. They were once close as kids, but now are no longer close at all. Is this because they have differing political opinions? Meiya’s made it clear that she actually sympathizes with the rebel faction’s concerns and believes they are right about some of their issues.
The Shogun reveals that she’s practiced 90 hours in a mech (which is a lot more than many of the people on Shirogane’s own team!) Old time tradition had the shogun taking part in battles, and she wants to hold on to that way of thinking. However, despite her training, she still collapses at the end of the episode from the fast travel that Shirogane had to employ in order to escape the rebels.
In the end, we’re left unclear about whether the Shogun is dead or alive. My personal theory is that she will either die or be incapacitated, and Meiya will have to sneak in and take her place. Since Meiya is sympathetic with the rebels, she might make some big political changes once she has that kind of power at her disposal.
All in all, I enjoyed this episode. However, I was more confused in this one than I’ve felt in any of the previous episodes. I’m hoping that next week provides a little more explanation, filling in some of the gaps in my understanding.
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“I find it so fascinating to compare where he originated to where he is now.”
Good! That’s part of the point having the two be so different and good to see that element come through in an adaption that also didn’t adapt the VN part that focuses on that world, Extra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am3r84cae8g
“This is what I’m gathering, as an anime-only viewer [of the coup arc].”
it’s close enough to correct. There’s some pedantic details you are wrong about like the US wants to use G-Bombs, not nukes, but further details about those would be spoilers. Just rewatch the start of episode 3 if you want to see a G-Bomb in action.
“[Ayamine] was a member of the Anti-Alternative Faction”
She’s not, those are love letters from Sagiri, the rebel group’s leader. Last episode mentioned the connection between Ayamine’s Father and how he was also the commanding officer of Sagiri, which is how the two know each other.
“this has left me wondering if the rebels and the Anti-Alternative groups are one and the same, or if they simply overlap in some of their goals.”
The latter one, and there are likely Anti-Alternative faction assets placed inside of the Rebels. The soldier that fired on a TSF near the Shogun’s residence is one example of this.
How do they overlap? Well Japan is backing Alternative IV, which doesn’t appear to be making any progress while Japan continues to get its forces lost to attrition from BETA fighting and its own civilians suffer, so it is understandable why the rebels might want a change in priorities (I actually don’t remember how much the public and the Imperial Japanese Army knows about Alternative IV, so don’t take that as fact). While the USA/CIA want it canceled outright so they can implement Alternative V.
“Interestingly, in the previous timeline and in his homeworld, Shirogane had no idea that Meiya had a twin sister”
Yes, in Takeru’s original world Yuuhi and her/Meiya’s parents were killed in a car crash when Yuuhi was still a toddler. Yuuhi, and then Meiya, were the family Heir of a Zaibatsu ( Japanese family owned conglomerate company).
“Is this because they have differing political opinions?”
Not quite but I won’t provide further details.
“despite her training, [Yuuhi] still collapses at the end of the episode”
Yes, though it’s more because of her not wearing a pilot suit like Takeru or everyone else in a TSF is. Again that is a VN detail, it is mentioned the suits help keep a pilot safe during high-g-force maneuvers. But yes you are correct, her training and strength are the only reason she made it as far as she did while remaining conscious.
The series is named Muv-Luv, which means “True Love” and the VN’s titles had the subtle of “Save in the name of true love.”
Who do you think is the true love?
Also, Meiya is the sister of the Shogun, Class Rep is the daughter of the now assassinated prime minister of Japan, Tama is the daughter of the UN Undersecretary General, Mikoto is the daughter of a Imperial Ministry of Intelligence spy, and Ayamine is the daughter of a disgraced IJA officer who is still admired by many of the Rebel groups officers, including Sagiri. In Unlimited Takeru’s unit never goes on a combat deployment during the VN despite plenty of opportunities during its existence from October 2001 to February 2004 (Takeru dies and is taken to the start of Alternative after the ending credits of the VN). Why do you think they were never deployed to combat?
Oh wow, this is SUPER helpful information! Thank you! I’m going to have to reread this several times to remember it all. Thank you for listing out all the military connections that the squadron members have. It sounds like they weren’t deployed because they’re the children of all these important people, so they’re being kept “safe.”
I totally missed that those were love letters to Ayamine! Thank you for clarifying that! (And so many other details I’d missed!)
Hmmm, who is the “true love…” On the surface, it seems to be Sumika, but knowing this anime so far, I’m going to guess that it ends up being someone else or has a deeper, more philosophical meaning… Hmmm…