Dec 30, 2013
Note: this review of Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: ARS Nova contains minor spoilers.
So, how did I like the series? Well, let me take it by parts:
Story: 8/10
There were both positives and negatives to the story.
On the positive side, I felt the story was very entertaining and brought back memories of Space Opera. Space Opera is one of the genres of anime that I have lamented seeing very little of over the last few years. It was a staple of the early years of anime, but is almost gone now. ARS Nova isn’t space
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opera, as it takes place at sea, but it has a similar feel to it (i.e. Outlaw Star).
The human race has been isolated due to the ‘Fleet of Fog’, an enigmatic fleet of battleships with awesome weapons that wiped out the human naval forces seven years ago and then… nothing. So, who are the crew of the Fleet of Fog? What type of eerie alien creatures inhabit the ships? Or, since this is an anime, what type of uber-beautiful humanoids females crew the ships? As it turns out, there are no crew, as the ships are sentient. Aww, so no pretty girls . Not to worry, the ships sentience can manifest themselves into ‘Mental Models’ that, of course, are uber-beautiful females.
Another thing I liked is how the story slowly morphed into a Harem without it really affecting the base story. Yes, there was the ubiquitous beach scene, and yes, there were several girls liking the main character. But at least he’s a cool main character.
There were a few negatives to the story, however. First, the idea of alien beings taking the form of humans and then essentially being reprogrammed by those pesky human emotions is not an original idea. While I won’t state that it is a rip-off of the underlying theme of Robotech, it is still the exact same premise. The second issue I had with the story is the lack of a back-story. I think there was about 5 minutes of the was seven years prior. Where did the Fog come from, how did the rest of the crew get onboard 401, and what actually happened after Hyuuga was sank, just to name a few.
Art/Visuals – 10/10
For me, the art and visuals is one of the best things about the whole series. Yes, yes, I know all the naysayers out there who’ve complained about the CG aspect of the ships. I do not agree. The CG, as it was used only for the ships, was a major enhancer to the series, rather than a detractor.
Sound – 7/10
Quite possibly the least favorable part of the series was the soundtrack. Don’t get me wrong, the opening, “Savior of Song", is performed by Nano and is quite good. The endings, as well as the score during the battles scenes are also are also good. However, the remainder of the series had very minimal sound accompaniment, which is quite possibly the only detractor in the series for me.
Characters – 9/10
With a few exception, the character development was quite good for the series. The main character and the fog girls were detailed pretty meticulously, which is something that I appreciate.
I like strong, unpredictable main characters. Gunzou Chihaya was the perfect captain for the 401. He’s unpredictable, doesn’t say much, but is always is one step ahead of the enemy. While he is no Marko Ramius (Hunt For Red October) when it comes to submarine battles, he was able to use unpredictable tactics, like the remote launchers to keep defeating the Fog ships. His style and his composure brought me glimpses of David Weber’s Honor Harrington.
I had an issue with some of his crew, however. What’s the deal with mask-man? If they’re going to do a mask, at least make it aesthetically pleasing. He looked like Abe the fish-man from Hellboy. I did hear one subtle mention about allergies, but I don’t buy it. The rest of the crew were OK (the engine room girl (don’t know her name) is quite possibly the cutest girl in the whole series) and the black guy with the pony-tail was also really cool.
I did like the Fog girls. Iona is just so darn cute. I personally like small girls, and she fit the bill nicely. None of the girls had big knockers, which would have been a real detractor in my mind. Takeo is funny and cute, but Kirishima seemed to be cut from the same cloth as her, which is most likely why they kept her as a teddy bear. However, the true jewel, of course, was Haruna. While not the prettiest face, and her coat is a sick joke, but outside of the coat, she is hot. Maya was adorable, and I actually liked Kongou – brought back memories of another alien who nearly went insane from emotions: Khyron. Somewhat ambivalent about Hyuuga, then again, I personally don’t really see a need for a yuri aspect.
Enjoyment – 10/10
I really enjoyed the series, and it is currently the best series of the season for me. Of course I still have a few more to go. The battle scenes were good, almost reminiscent of Hunt for Red October mixed with an Outlaw Star type of Space Opera, and the non battle scenes were not filler. They were actually useful to move the series along.
Overall – 9/10
Overall I give this a 9/10, and I definitely hope that there will be a second season.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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