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Well – never let it be said that Aldnoah.Zero didn’t end its first season with a bang…
A couple of thoughts just to start with…
- Yes, I believe she’s really dead this time.
- She better be, or credibility destruction is complete.
- As I said once already – Slaine shot first. Just remember that.
For the second time this week (it must be a new rule for shows I cover at RC) we got a sequel announcement right after the first season ended. It’s even less surprising here than it was with Tokyo Ghoul, given that Aoki Ei had all but announced that this show was split cour, though that was informally – and until there’s an official announcement (Aldnoah got this one right, doing it in the end card rather than 18 hours later on a Chinese website) you can never be certain. As such, as is my normal practice with split cour shows I’ll treat Aldnoah as a single series and thus save the full series review for after the end of the second cour (assuming that’s the last one).
To be honest, I think – like much of the last several episodes – that finale was a pretty big mess. In fact, it was a clusterfuck of epic proportions, but one can’t deny it those epic proportions. Aldnoah goes big, and when it needs a change-of-pace it goes bigger. Stuff doesn’t always (or often) make sense, but it’s always a spectacle. And as season-ending cliffhangers go, even if this one wasn’t especially logical it was certainly memorable (and curiosity-inducing).
We had the blockbuster battle Aoki-sensei had promised us for the final episode, though for the most part it followed the standard Aldnoah script – a Martian landing castle that seemed ridiculously overpowered, but had an obvious flaw that (along with the arrogance of the pilot) gets it defeated by Inaho (at least that last part seemed destined to change). Frankly I was hoping for better from Saazbaum, who may just have ended up as my favorite character in the cour. But he wound up being struck with the same stupid stick as all his comrades when the chips were down, and met a similar – though it’s too early to say identical – fate.
The first 18 minutes of the episode are entertaining enough, but quite straightforward – there just isn’t much to talk about until the ending, where things get really interesting (and crazy). We do get what amounts to a statement of purpose from Inaho, who declares that wars – like everything else in his worldview – are driven by practicality. We get Saazbaum pulling off a pretty interesting gettai move, though we’ve seen the flying fists approach from Kataphrakts already. Lots of shots of wounded on the Deucalion, but no one with a name seems to be dead. It’s all there, really, to set up those last four minutes.
So what do we get there? We get Saazbaum pledging that he intends to “stop the cycle of hatred”. We get Inaho using Inko as a decoy. We get Slaine arriving and being saved from Terran soldiers by a Martian, who’s promptly snuffed out as reward. Slaine rides to the rescue of Saazbaum, who’s on the verge of being killed by Inaho. Why was Slaine able to power up his Kataphrakt in the first place – was he granted the power by Asseylum and didn’t realize it? Is it somehow connected with his own bloodlines? Most of the real intrigue here in this finale surrounds Slaine, though a lot of it is never really justified or explained.
This is indeed a highly confused situation, at least on moral grounds. Inaho is a pure consequentialist, Saazbaum is declaring noble intentions intended to be carried out through assassination, mocking his own prejudices while acting on them. And Slaine is a complete mess, certainly from a narrative standpoint. I could almost see Slaine having some sentimental regard for Saazbaum, who’d at least saved him from Cruhteo and freed him to choose his own fate. But this is the man whose professed and practiced intent was to kill the girl Slaine is in love with, so to say Slaine’s actions at the end are confusing is perhaps generous. Charitably, I think the interpretation would be that they’re the confused actions of a confused young man.
Being Slaine is certainly suffering, of that we can be sure. He finally sees Asseylum again, but as she’s ministering to the wounded Inaho in an unnervingly tender manner. Then he sees her shot by Saazbaum, who he’s just saved – first through the chest, and then in the head (so congrats on causing Asseylum’s death there, Slaine). Slaine shoots Saazbaum repeatedly, but before he can deliver the head-shot Saazbaum is asking for, Inaho crawls from his cockpit and stops him. He drags himself towards Asseylum’s body, a strange little smile on his face, but Slains stops him and points a gun at his head. Naturally Inaho pulls out a gun of his own, and Slaine kills him. The end, for now.
Status check, then, shows Inaho and Asseylum dead, Saazbaum possibly close to death, and Slaine… what, exactly? In the first place if Inaho and Asseylum aren’t actually dead, that’s going to amount to a serious breach of faith with the audience. If indeed they are, where does that leave us for the second cour? This ending frankly doesn’t make sense to me – it plays as if it was set up for dramatic purposes with no regard for logic or character consistency – but it does leave some fascinating questions hanging over Slaine. What did he do with Asseylum’s body (please, let it not be some kind of Aldnoah-based resurrection – or improper activities. Anything else I can live with). Does he step in as the new MC? Does he become the new top boss, driven over the edge by what’s happened? Does he continue to stand on the precipice between the world of his birth and the world of his upbringing, everything riding on him? Obviously no one can say for certain, but it feels to me as if Slaine has thrown his lot in with the Martians by his actions here, which favors the “big bad” option. And I smell a fairly lengthy timeskip looming, too, though that’s strictly a guess on my part.
I for one don’t think anyone can argue that the first cour of Aldnoah.Zero wasn’t well-produced, great to look at and listen to. And I think most would agree that it was entertaining on a superficial level. But it would probably therefore be fair to ask – what separates this series from the likes of Guilty Crown, which its detractors have compared it to from the beginning? It’s not all that easy to refute that charge, honestly, based on just how scattershot things got over the last few episodes. I think for me the difference is that Aldnoah.Zero has a core of interesting characters and a sound premise, whereas once you got past the frosting on Guilty Crown I don’t think there was any cake. Things may have degraded substantially in terms of logic and believability, but enough of a foundation was laid that I never lost my buy-in (at least not totally). If you never have that buy-in to begin with, stuff like we saw in these recent weeks is pretty much a deal-breaker.
Even if I do have major issues with the way Aldnoah.Zero developed, I’ll still look forward to the second cour with a good deal of interest. I’m banking on Saazbaum being alive, since even when you’re dead in this series you’re not necessarily dead, and we never saw him die (in fact he pointedly didn’t die). As Saazbaum and Slaine are considerably more interesting than anyone on the Terran side, that might be a good sign for the second season. I have no idea if Gen Urobuchi will be involved in writing the second cour – I would guess minimally at-best – and for all his faults and the fact that Aldnoah followed the usual Gen pattern of shows that falter near the end, I do think his touch was missed once he ceded creative direction to the rest of the staff. It’s pretty much a crapshoot at this stage trying to predict what might happen, but there’s a certain appeal to that. I think the only things we can with certainty are that Aldnoah.Zero will be a spectacle and that Slaine will suffer.
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Fade to Black:
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End Card:
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Hangman
September 21, 2014 at 4:39 amA.Z has its moments of fun, but no new ground was ever tread. I mean, thank you very much Code Geass. They even stole the orenji thing!
DiabloCthulhu
September 21, 2014 at 5:09 amWell, I guess you could say that Inaho just got Slained :V
– head-shot Saazbaum is asking for
Best moment of this indeed clusterfuck of an episode right there.
– Does he step in as the new MC?
Please, anything but that. If Inaho is indeed dead and Slaine becomes main protagonist, then I'm out. Slaine is not only boring, he's also, as this episode aptly demonstrated (not that it needed to be demonstrated, considering his actions in previous episodes), retarded fuckhead, pardon me my French (and the obnoxious fangirling that he gets from both Western and Japanese fandoms pushes me even further from liking his character). So I have absolutely no desire to watch the second cour with him in that role (or in the role of the main antagonist, for that matter; though that could be interesting, I suppose), and I hope that Inaho somehow makes through this (and I don't care about the amount of ass-pulling this will require).
Hangman
September 21, 2014 at 5:21 amI quite fancy Inaho's sister as the level headed MC. But in this show levelheadedness gets you killed, while craziness liberates (a la Rayet).
DiabloCthulhu
September 21, 2014 at 5:26 amOh yeah, another character as the main protagonist is also an option. Inaho's sister would be a good choice, yeah. I also wouldn't mind Rayet.
moodytot
September 21, 2014 at 1:35 pmI'd rather have Inaho back, no matter the ass-pulling. He was FINALLY getting some character development–"emotions matter"–and then gets headshot. WTF. It felt so incomplete and nonsensical, I'm just annoyed.
Asseylum, though, feels like she's reached the end of her arc. She will always be that golden girl with goodness in her heart, no matter how much reality tramples on her ideals. And considering how often she's "died," it feels less of a cop-out to have Inaho live instead of her.
If there's a new cast and new MC, I'm out.
admin
September 21, 2014 at 2:33 pmI would echo that. I don't care how you justify it, bringing either back would be a huge credibility cratering – we're talking close-up head shots here. But if you had to, Inaho would certainly seem to have more potential narratively speaking. Asseylum's story has been running on empty for awhile.
Eternia
September 21, 2014 at 2:49 pmSeconded that. Slaine is such a puke inducing character, and I would be happy be if he's the one who died instead.
Gary Cochran
September 21, 2014 at 5:35 pmLots of times when you have many deaths of MCs some sort of a time warp happens and the characters are brought back or saved somehow.
DiabloCthulhu
September 21, 2014 at 8:11 pm– Asseylum, though, feels like she's reached the end of her arc.
I actually don't feel that she did. The whole "after realizing (in episode 11) that Orbital Knights never cared about her and her assassination was just an excuse to start a war they've always wanted (i.e. "reality tramples on her ideals") she becomes more hardened and cynical and less of a "golden girl with goodness in her heart" as a result" to me feels like the middle of her arc, especially considering that that was always in her, what with the all kung-fu throws and smiling after firing the grenade launcher. To me "she's reached the end of her arc" means that authors developed her character in the direction of "golden princess with goodness in her heart becomes hardened and cynical princess" at least a little bit, not killed her one and the half epsiode later after she's just started to change.
But Inaho definitely, as Enzo said, have more potential narratively speaking. So I'll be happy no matter whom of the two they resurrect.
Zeta Zero
September 23, 2014 at 9:54 amEveryone loves Mr Perfect now?
thedarktower
September 21, 2014 at 5:28 amAldnoah was indeed well produced from the start. not only that, but it also has the explosive factor, even in the last episodes (that were a hit&miss in some aspects).
in recent years there is slight rust regarding mecha series (except for Sidonia which is quite unusual and was also a late bloom). I felt that Aldnoah is really a Mecha series as it sent the right vibe for being Mecha. even though last 2 eps went a bit too high in action and everything, it was really a good ride in these terms.
as for the ending itself, well, I figured something in that scale might happen. the only thing about the ending is that…well, we saw those 3 MCs struggle throughout the series, but still something is missing – what drives them?what they want to accomplish?. In particular the problem lies within Slaine as he is stuck between being a Martian or Terran. but precisely when it was the final moments ever since Saazbaum gave him a choice, we don't see clearly his inner conflict and what drives him to take irrational and contradict action in the fight (yeah, we can assume here and there…but I felt it was missing).
as for Inaho and the princess. well, I don't know if they are both dead, though it seems so. but it will be a problem next cour without the two main characters. and resurrect them some way or another also seems a bit off (maybe they will truly use the optical device to decisive everyone that the princess is alive?)
there are also question about Inaho being so calm and calculated (though big part of it is probably his will to protect the princess). but he said something interesting about wars that stopped when there are too casualties for both sides. probably the last battle affected the Martians the same way heavens fall affected…
well, Aldnoah indeed ended with a big bang at the end both in terms of action and the way 2 MCs ended dead (as expected Urobuchi. or maybe they are alive?). it was a good and explosive season which I really enjoyed on a whole, though had some hits&misses near the end (mostly since that episode when the princess faces Rayet after being revived). I don't know if it's Urobuchi being missing or not…but I hope the second will retain the subtle touch it had.
now the damn thing about split is waiting 3 months for a series to return…
Simone
September 21, 2014 at 7:37 amBy the end there will be a giant naked Slaine raising above the earth and merging all human souls in a single entity who reveres princess Asseylum and mourns her death and feels guilty for it. Mark my words.
R Lawlied
September 21, 2014 at 7:39 amI really don't buy that the princess is dead. There's something suspicious with the way they frame the shooting scene, with safety helm that suddenly (and conveniently) cover the princess face as if they don't want to let us confirm the headshot wound. Coupled with the fact that the princess whereabouts is unknown. Plus, what's the point with killing them when they barely had any significant development and depth as characters?
But, in the other hand, I think both of them should stay dead. It would require a total asspully move if they really want to resurrect them somehow.
admin
September 21, 2014 at 8:08 amWhich would be pretty in-character for Aldnoah if it happened.
DiabloCthulhu
September 21, 2014 at 8:15 am– what's the point with killing them when they barely had any significant development and depth as characters?
Well, that didn't stopped them from (supposedly) killing Cruhteo just moments later after they showed the glimpse of his depth and development. Granted, he wasn't a main character, but still. In other words: I can totally see them killing Inaho (Asseylum though – not so much).
drasca
September 21, 2014 at 9:26 amHa, in character is correct. I was thinking how many times must the princess die & resurrect? Also in character for slaine to suffer.
I'm not convinced Inaho is guaranteed dead either, though that is an option. We saw blood, but we didn't hear confirmed deaths. The terran voice-over afterward was intentionally vague, stating casualties, but no mention of Inaho specifically and that the Princess status was unknown.
We really won't know for sure until the next season. Voice credits being the biggest give-away before the actual episodes release.
Saazbaum Unknown
Princess Unknown
Inaho Suspect dead but not guaranteed
Slaine: Where would he turn to? He either hides… or… I don't think he can take over Saazbaum's territory. He certainly can't go back to Vers. No allies on earth either.
R Lawlied
September 21, 2014 at 12:08 pmYeah, either way, it's a lose-lose situation (to me). Unless, they somehow managed to do the 'asspull' right (which won't be called asspull anyway)
Roger
September 21, 2014 at 12:34 pmI guess one possible asspull here for Asseylum turning out alive in the second cour is that the Earth forces were able to reach her in time. Darzana and co. did have the doctor (the guy treating Marito) accompany them aboard the Deucalion right?
Still, am more than convinced that Asseylum is alive. They really don't have any sympathetic character from the Martian side at this point aside from her (and maybe Saazbaum if he is still alive).
DiabloCthulhu
September 21, 2014 at 6:46 pm– I was thinking how many times must the princess die & resurrect?
If this third time is not the charm, then 6 more times. Gotta spend those cat lives before dying for real.
moodytot
September 22, 2014 at 12:26 amThey bring back Inaho brain-damaged. I'll consider that not an asspull.
Hangman
September 22, 2014 at 12:47 amReminds me of when Tousaka Rin's mother was strangled to death but came back to life as a brain damaged paraplegic. Maybe Inaho will return to us blind and deaf?
DiabloCthulhu
September 22, 2014 at 3:42 amAnd then Inaho will proceed kicking Martian asses even more efficiently, because, as the law of equivalent exchange dictates, after becoming blind and deaf he will acquire sixth sense (or something like that). And the snazzy eyepatch.
vincee87
September 22, 2014 at 5:10 pmHow about bringing him back as a cyborg? And start calling him Orange-kun. Oh wait, wrong show.
DiabloCthulhu
September 23, 2014 at 2:26 am– How about bringing him back as a cyborg?
That is also an acceptable option.
Zeta Zero
September 23, 2014 at 10:09 amThey should transplant his brain to the ship. That way it can automatically make all the tactical decisions for them without having to go through a committee.
Kaname
September 21, 2014 at 8:13 amJumping the shark huh? Please God no…
maverickmann84
September 21, 2014 at 11:03 amMpt a huge fan of "I'll end the cycle of hatred." line from Saaz. Yeah that makes perfect sense, end the cycle of hatred by murdering the peace loving princess instead of her war monger father. Then go about blaming the whole thing on a different planet so that you can invade them….that's a great idea. At least Asseylum bit the big one (hopefully). No more of her illogical nonsense. I'm pretty sure Slaine is going ep 3 Darth Vader here after killing his girl, and Inaho is likely alive (as you can't really have a show without him to Marty Stu every battle for Earth's side. For all it's faults, when Aldnoah turns it up to eleven it is some edge of your seat action. I'm definitely more excited for the next ep than I am for the next ep of Argevollen, but I'm positive that Argevollen remains the far superior series (and really widens the gap cour 2).
My guess as to how Slaine had Aldnoah would be the CPR that saved his life. That probably somehow unknowingly transferred him the power.
Aeolus
September 21, 2014 at 11:20 amArgh. The way this episode was done, to soften us up for that ending, boggles my mind. Everyone survived that crazy kamikaze attack? Hurray! Then some faceless goon saves Slaine and dies right after telling him to buck up. Aww, buck up Slaine! Then… that ending. F*** you, Slaine!
Personally, I'm hoping they're all dead and stay dead. I think any resurrection would cheapen what was achieved here. I disagree that it was "set up for dramatic purposes with no regard for logic or character consistency." Rather, I think it just leaves the second season completely open for the story to take any direction, which is simply hard on us viewers. Still… Damnit, Slaine.
Someone from reddit made this, had to share: http://i.imgur.com/CCHbAke.jpg
Roger
September 21, 2014 at 11:44 amOh my, that was one heck of of a plot armor for Asseylum at the start of the ep. The guy guarding her had the head airbag thingies deployed and yet he died, while asseylum didn't have hers deployed, yet she survived nary a scratch, which makes me dubious. Wnd then there is this final line from the episode:
"The whereabouts of Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia of Vers are still unknown."
Yep, we might as well prepare our selves for the :"unexpected" in the second cour.
That hint of a romance triangle near the end kinda felt shoehorned too.
Still, the music was great and i found that Saazbaum gattai amusingly cheeky. Let's how the second cour goes.
Carbine Gammaximon
September 21, 2014 at 12:10 pmFirst impressions of the bat:
————————————
Yeah, Slaine. He did spend most of the time trying to get to the princess and missing her on every major turn. I could not help but laugh at the "But your princess is in another castle!" vibe.
I like the fact that inaho did use the same tactic in fighting Saazbum. Given that the 37 clans never really worked as a unit (As Marito emphasized), there was arguably no way for them to adapt/correct the flaws. The "skipcuts" were actually enjoyable, because having a downed plane land animated (and the like) wouldn't have contributed to the narrative, especially on a finale episode.
But Slaine, Slaine, Slaine!! How do you make up for all your running about so wonderfully! The Count told him to decide, but it appears slaine never considered that decision at all, nor could he care: all he wanted was the princess. Foreshadowing his confusion between the Terran KT that aimed at him vs the Martian that died saving him showed a confused person finally grappling with the freedom to choose. To then force him to decide with Saazbum's life on the line and play out the consequences in typical Gen Fashion had me clapping and thoroughly satisfied.
I honestly wished there wasn't a second season. I trully find it odd I would want it to end here, but there's a certain vibe of the cause and effect of everyone's actions that have profound consequences across all parties, in a manner that doesn't feel contrived but organic, at least as far as your suspense of disbelief is concerned
I'm glad I watched this through.
Eternia
September 22, 2014 at 2:29 pmThat's why Slaine is super disgusting.
Unlike other Terrans, who are in the dark.
This guy, even though, he was told about a lot of things, he doesn't care about them all.
To hell with political matter and morality.
I just want my princess.
He didn't even consider that Inaho might be a good guy, seeing how the princess trusted him.
"Get your dirty hand off my princess!"
They really have to make him the main villain.
I am throwing in the towel if they make him the protagonist.
maverickmann84
September 22, 2014 at 6:57 pmThere's no conceivable way Slaine could be anything but the main villain next season, and a shitty one at that. He was always an annoying character to begin with, but this def pushed him over the top. Just bc Saaz says the words "I'll stop this cycle of hatred" he goes "yup that's perfect and ur retarted logic that goes killing = ending hatred makes perfect sense so I'll save you now" then he has a meltdown and shoots Inaho (not in the head mind you so he's 100% alive) and becomes what he was bashing Cruhteo for: betraying the ideals of the princess he claims to love. Retarted. The show lost all semblance of storyline or intellectual value and is left with nothing but Die Hard value. Very entertaining to watch. but nonetheless devoid of intelligence.
Helen
September 21, 2014 at 3:32 pm"Is it somehow connected with his own bloodlines?" So far the series has made it clear that only people who have been personally given power over the Aldnoah or are royalty can activate it, I was also under the impression that you're only given power over a specific ship/mech not all of them but there's no proof of that. Given that I think it's pretty safe to say that Slaine wasn't given aldnoah power and then forgot, since the series keeps mentioning that his father was studying the aldnoah and yet it's never said what he did with it/what he found I think the show has given us it's answer, Slaine can now activate it and possibly give the power to others which would certainly complicate Mar's civil war as it is.
Antony Shepherd
September 21, 2014 at 5:13 pmReally it would be a horrible copout of the worst kind should they resurrect either Inaho or Asseylum. Going by the blood loss, it seems highly improbable you could do that without invoking Clarke's law.
It was a wonderfully bleak ending, and I hope they don't spoil that.
I could see Yuki leading a resistance force in the second series, though.
vincee87
September 21, 2014 at 5:21 pmI lol-ed at Saazbaum's mech. It's like one of those video game final boss which has the abilities of all previous bosses that the player has defeated before.
Simone
September 21, 2014 at 8:11 pmPlus it assebles like a Megazord.
admin
September 23, 2014 at 12:29 amIn case anyone missed it, Gen supposedly said (at a Gargantia event today) "I had nothing to do with the Aldnoah ending. In my original outline Asseylum fell in love with Inaho and Slaine stole her away!"
Also, "If anyone dies in Psycho Pass 2 don't come looking for me, complain to Ubukata…"
sonicsenryaku
September 23, 2014 at 1:23 amOoooooooo that's very interesting; I knew Gen had nothing to do with the AldNoah finale but i didnt know that the writers decided to reject Gen's original outline. What do you think he meant by "slaine stole her away" do you think it meant that Slaine did slide over to the dark side and took the princess away by force or that Slaine just happened to be able to pull Asseylum's feelings towards him more than Inaho?
admin
September 23, 2014 at 2:07 amI took that to mean that he metaphorically beat his chest, flung her over his shoulder, jumped into his Kataphrakt and flew off.
sonicsenryaku
September 23, 2014 at 2:22 amhahaha woooww; well, whatever character development or romance was supposes to happen between those two, i sure as hell didnt feel it; but again that probably has to do with the writers that took over and them focusing more on the high-octane action than the characterization of the cast. Well now im starting to get concerned that there may actually be some sort of "revival" asspull coming our way in the second cour. Man, i sure hope not but we'll have to wait and see.
sonicsenryaku
September 23, 2014 at 3:32 amI could tell Gen wasnt behind the finale becuz as much as he's infamous for killing off characters; the events that preceded it didnt feel like his writing or his sequence of doing things. The more you watch an artist the more you start getting use to the inner machinations of their craft. By the way, i read a recent interview he had, and to paraphrase, when asked again what his thoughts were about his infamousy in putting characters in brutal situations, he responded, "when I see someone filled with happiness and on a righteous path, i just get this feeling to rip that happiness away from them". He immediately said he was just kidding afterwards and responded that he likes testing his characters and seeing them try to pull through terrible situations. While i believe him on testing his characters, I dont think he was entirely joking about his compulsion to tear happiness away from his characters; but ill take his word for it for now
maverickmann84
September 23, 2014 at 4:23 amYeah the show really lacked Urobutcher's typical narrative style. The deaths seemed mostly meaningless and more shock value than Uro's usual "meaningful" deaths. I realize the irony of that seeing as the meaning in all of his works, and subsequent death of characters, is the meaningless of life, death, and all things in between, but at least when he kills characters off there's an explicit purpose in relation to the themes and plot of his shows.
@sonic
Haha I can't believe he came out and said that! That's hilarious. It's funny how you can learn so much more about someone from the way they say things, and from the things they "joke" about. That's a obvious case of saying something as a joke to mask how awful it would sound to admit it aloud. The strange thing is that I don't think it's with any malice or bitterness that he says those words. It's likely that his worldview is, as we all know, the general Nihilistic notion that everything is meaningless and when he sees "righteous/idealistic" ppl who are happy he wants to point out how pointless that all is (to him mind you, for what it's worth it certainly isn't my belief) by showing the worst consequences of living that way, or the loss that comes from it. His worldview is a very interestingly dark take on the whole "shift into adulthood" where the ideals you hold as a child get stripped away from the harsh reality of adulthood. I've always taken from his shows that the reason he never answers any of the questions he brings up is bc he doesn't have any firm belief himself, and isn't nearly as nihilistic as he comes off. He's very much like Kafka in the sense that, while his works are all very stereotypical examples of nihilism, he leaves everything open to the viewers interpretation. Kafka once said (paraphrasing) after being asked the meaning of his writing, "it means whatever the person reading takes out of it" and I get that a lot from Urobuchi as well. That he doesn't see any viewpoint as inherently right or wrong, but just likes to show (what he believes to be) the inherent meaningless of everything. Aldnoah has been lacking in any sort of intelligent flow and meaning. Not that that's necessarily bad, action for actions sake can be very entertaining, but when you see his name attached to a project you have certain expectations that are clearly not being met. There doesn't seem to be any point to the deaths in the show, or the rationale of the characters, and given the way it started, and obviously Urobutcher's involvement, I think it suffers from everything that was expected of it.
Roger
September 23, 2014 at 8:27 amGen supposedly said (at a Gargantia event today) "I had nothing to do with the Aldnoah ending.
Well now, that makes sense. I watched Kamen Rider Gaim's (his toku show) and it definitely had Urobuchi written all over it (it kinda reminded me of Fate Zero and Madoka). I really didn't feel the same about Aldnoah's season finale. While the philosophical talk was there, it somehow didn't feel like Gen's
admin
September 23, 2014 at 9:18 amI'll buy that. There was none of the existential despair that Gen revels in – it was just violence. It was like a Gen cover band.
Roger
September 23, 2014 at 9:22 amI don't know if you are a fan of toku, but you really should watch Gaim. I can say that is is very much the quintessential Gen Urobuchi piece alongside Madoka, Fate Zero, and Psycho-Pass.
Zeta Zero
September 23, 2014 at 10:01 amThis is and always was an asspull style show. Why stop now?
beverley-chan
September 23, 2014 at 11:57 pmButcher may have his fame, but people forget that Aoki and Takayama were in charge of Ga-Rei Zero and in that show the death count is quite high, especially characters who were promoted and appeared to be relevant got killed off quite abruptly. The only reason I consider the possibility of Inaho (and maybe Asseylum) being dead for real is because of that anime. But all the attempts at killing Asseylum and her revivals make it hard to take the death scenes seriously.
About Slaine being the protagonist in the second cour if the others are dead isn't bad, he possesses Aldnoah and his father was investigating it before mysteriously dying/going missing, he knows the sufferings from both Earth (his father and him were nomadic and visited many places during their time on Earth according to ARCHIVEZ) and Martian sides (Saazbaum's story and his time on Mars). He is the character with the best possibilities of making a change in Martian society and stopping the war once he mans up, gains experience at using Cruhteo's Kat and gets capable allies (if he rescued and tended Saazbaum I can see them collaborating, even if Asseylum ends up reviving again)
Last month in an interview Aoki spoiled that the meaning of the word "Zero" in Aldnoah.Zero would be revealed in the second cour (interview: http://www.b-ch.com/contents/feat_creators_selection/p03.html).
To finish fun fact: Amamiya and Minase are self-proclaimed no.1 fans of Slaine and in every episode of Aldnoah radio there's at least a couple of minutes spent on proclamations of love to him. Even in Saturday's program released after episode 12 aired, they talked about the recording of that episode and despite being disappointed with Slaine's actions in the finale (they also were surprised by Slaine helping Saazbaum), Amamiya still continued her "Slaine tsuki!!" comments. And according to them, Natsuki Hanae was happy about episode 12 because most of the staff loves Slaine and he could finally boast about Inaho's coolness in the finale.
Roger
September 24, 2014 at 1:19 amOkay, so judging from the final line of the episode, if they do indeed show Asseylum and Inaho alive next season, I'm guessing that it would be a bit of a Code Geass R2-ish turn of events, where it opens with Asseylum is living as a normal Terran girl (which would actually tie in with her fascination with the Earth), without any memories of who she really is. Man, this would have been interesting combined with the "Slaine is the new protag/antag" idea, if only not for the amount of asspull they have to do here.