Aldnoah Zero Thread

[Amion]

I wonder what's going to happen to the Tharsis now

No telling.

[VR7]

I've been watching Aldnoah Zero, too.

I've seen up to episode 11 now, though I don't have anything to say in terms of spoilers yet. Having come fresh from watching virtually the entirety of Chirico-related VOTOMS, I like what I've seen so far and I really like the soundtrack for it. Given the atmosphere though, I do feel like it could have benefited from a more mature looking character designs, though.

On the other hand, it does feel like it derives a lot from some of Ryosuke Takahashi's work.

[Zeonista]

I've been watching Aldnoah Zero, too.

I've seen up to episode 11 now, though I don't have anything to say in terms of spoilers yet. Having come fresh from watching virtually the entirety of Chirico-related VOTOMS, I like what I've seen so far and I really like the soundtrack for it. Given the atmosphere though, I do feel like it could have benefited from a more mature looking character designs, though.

On the other hand, it does feel like it derives a lot from some of Ryosuke Takahashi's work.

Have you been able to find some favorable parallels between VOTOMS & Aldnoah Zero?

[FieryBlitz]

While not directed at me, I'd like to say that when it comes to parallels, I've been finding more Gundam Crossbone parallels than VOTOMs parallels.

[VR7]

Some parallels, it's not like Aldnoah is a direct copy of VOTOMS or Layzner. More like Gen Urobuchi is a huge fan of 80s mecha anime.

Spoiler

• The way Inaho behaves is very similar to Chirico. Like Chirico, he barely has any facial expressions, always comes up with some sort of plan for dealing with difficult situations and always behaves in a way that other people his age would not (i.e. Inaho suddenly performing CPR like a pro even though he is a high school kid and it was probably his first time ever performing CPR).
• On that note, Inaho's performance in Episode 11 against the Landing Castle reminds me of the time Chirico took out hundreds of Burglary Dogs using just a stolen Scope/Burglary Dog, (don't remember which) a lot of rifles and assorted weapons and some jury-rigged unmanned trucks. (re: VOTOMS: Alone Again) Maybe Inaho will do something similar somewhere down the line next season.
• Inaho has a strange attachment to Princess Asseylum that goes beyond a romantic relationship. This reminds me a lot of Chirico and Fyana, who had some sort of strange relationship all because she was the first person she ever saw.
• In all honesty I don't think Inaho is an ordinary person. He has demonstrated that he has the capacity to care for others, but his way of thinking shows a high level of experience that he isn't even supposed to have. Chirico wasn't ordinary either as we found out at the end of the Sunsa arc.
• Slaine Troyard reminds me of Eiji Asuka from SPT Layzner in terms of his role in the story. Like Eiji, he is some sort of Terran living among the enemy due to some relationship with his father and the Martians (Although in Eiji's case it was because he was a half-human half-Gradosian), and like Eiji he does not approve of the Orbital Knights' invasion of Earth. Though, unlike Eiji he doesn't seem to really have the means to oppose them.
• The Vers Empire is kind of like the Gradosians. Like the Gradosians, the Martians were former humans who left the Earth that eventually came back with the goal of resettling on their old home--by force if necessary. That's what I remember about the finale of Layzner, anyway. They also came through some kind of gate if I recall correctly.

[wielder]

VR7:

Interesting observations, but I fear several of the parallels aren't that strong right now.

Some are easy to question. For one thing, Chirico was definitely stoic, indeed, but even he showed more visible emotion than Inaho. Their skill sets are also very different, since Chirico was already a trained soldier and his plans were usually more about how to pilot his own robot or get out of a dangerous situation, rather than ordering other people around or setting up complicated conditions based on analyzing enemy weaknesses.

Not that Chirico never did any of this, but certainly not to the same extent, in comparison to how Inaho approaches his own challenges. Also, I think the nature of the real or potential romance and general "connection" between Inaho and Asseylum in this show is also difficult to compare, at least at this point, given we still lack a lot of information.

For another, Urobuchi has officially said he didn't come up with the character of Inaho, nor apparently the rest of the cast, while his personal involvement with this project has been limited to coming up with the original concept for the story and writing the first three episodes. It doesn't seem he is still actively involved anymore, at least not in the current set of episodes. I quote:

I did not create the characters in Aldnoah. I made the mainframe of the story until the preliminary version. But in fact Inaho's character is different than what I wrote. I do not really have a connection with this character, so this is an exception.

Source:
http://nekoshiritori.wordpress.com/2014 ... -urobuchi/

[Compass]

Inaho's character development still feels really shallow. Are we in for a surprise? Gosh I hope not ._.

[VR7]

wielder: Good counterpoints. There are still enough differences to distinguish Inaho from Chirico, and it's still too early in Aldnoah's story and the characters aren't fleshed out enough for the parallels to be particularly strong and obvious.

Just as a side note, I do realize Chirico did actually express a wide variety of emotions, especially during the original VOTOMS and during Shining Heresy. The more modern VOTOMS material though (Pailsen Files, Alone Again, Phantom Arc) seem to forget this entirely and portray him with the same stoic face in every situation. That's probably where I got the idea that both of them share the lack of facial expressions.

I heard that Gen didn't have much to do with Inaho's creation, but I didn't realize he never actually had that much involvement in Aldnoah beyond the initial ideas and the use of some of his Butcher Bingo trademarks (i.e. real world weapons and little girls).

[Compass]

Spoiler

This show went really dark REALLY FAST. Like Game of Thrones dark. Slaine, you total IDIOT. Agh where's that gif of everyone panicking.

[Deacon Blues]

Just the cliffhanger ending I was hoping for. Though I'm willing to bet they'll pull something from somewhere with this come January.

[Amion]

Just the cliffhanger ending I was hoping for. Though I'm willing to bet they'll pull something from somewhere with this come January.

Agreed. And I was hoping for a similar ending, though certainly not the one we got. Unless they plan to make poor, tortured, ill-fortuned Slain the main character, they're going to have to pull something. Then again, he kinda already was the MC in my mind. He's gotten some actual development while Inaho remains an enigmatic not-Heero/Setsuna.

A question, is the older woman who keeps saying she's his elder sister actually his relative, or is it one of those nii-chan relationships?

[Ryujin]

It's kind of funny that Slaine

Spoiler

becomes the MC literally by process of elimination.

Asides from that, it annoyed the nitpicking side of me that random Mars soldier #342 instantly dies from a single pistol round at long range, even though he's wearing helmet & body armour. I'll just assume that the moisture in the Earth's atmosphere causes significant degradation in Martian infantry gear.

A question, is the older woman who keeps saying she's his elder sister actually his relative, or is it one of those nii-chan relationships?

She seems to be the real deal.

[EZero8]

Wow. Anyway the rest of the post is just my blind speculation mixed in with a couple of spoilers, so disclaimer issued.

Spoiler

Welp. Didn't expect that to happen to Inaho. Kinda disappointed that they pulled that stunt (probably just for shock value, really), but at least he went out like a badass by taking down a gattai of the previous Vers Kataphracts with his trademark resourcefulness. He didn't get any development in the end, but it was a fun ride watching his short-lived adventure. He was nothing if not entertaining just for the action scenes.

Slaine is probably gonna get the Villain Protagonist role in the next part. Dude is way too messed up not to. Maybe Slaine takes over the Orbital Knights or whatever, with the next part focusing on his angsty rise to power while he rants and raves like a lunatic about how he'll jointly realize both Saazbaum's and Asseylum's ideals. Sounds about something his twisted, tortured character trope would normally do.

I have a lingering feeling that Asseylum escaped death yet again. Yeah yeah puddle of blood near her head and everything after the second gunshot, but I find it too convenient that the closing monologue only states that she is "missing." I mean, to my count she's escaped a direct threat to her life twice before already, so why not let plot armor take over once more?

Also, unfounded speculation based on OP symbolism, but she pulls out a gun at the end before it cuts to the title card. If she lives, I find it very likely that she and Slaine will be on opposing sides during Part 2, which opens up a ton of avenues for storylines in the next part. Slaine's life is already suffering personified, why not make it worse by pitting his beloved Princess against him?

[Amion]

Gotta agree with you there, EZero.

Spoiler

Assylum dying would be a serious bombshell if she truly is gone. It makes sense that someone would find her corpse and confirm it, so unless the narration is from the Versian side and the Earth guys hid the corpse, it would seem the Earth forces didn't find her either and someone spirited her away.

Chances are no one important actually ends up dead, though Sauzbaam probably got it for sure. Assylum will probably have been spirited away by her friends along with Inaho-who will magically survive. Though it would be personally satisfying to me if he doesn't and we get someone else, maybe even Assylum totally. She got some great development compared to everyone else. Where they end up is beyond me, but chances are Slain is indeed the next big bad...

After all, we have yet to voice the true, absolute evidence. He was doomed from the moment of entanglement in the love triangle to become the twisted, misunderstood maniacal villain his hair demands. It's a shame, especially after all his horrific treatment in the Orbital Knights. But that's his own fault for not investing in some hair dye.

Speaking of Knights, I'm beginning to think that Slain activated the Aldnoah on his own. It wouldn't be out of the question to assume that Assylum unwitting granted him access rights of some sort when she kis...I mean, when she performed CPR on him. Did he ever have a scene where he tried to activate an Aldnoah and failed? I missed eps 1-3.

[Xenosynth]

Spoiler

I... just took her body missing as a sign that Slaine had taken it. Either to give it a proper burial or something.

[Soma Taozi]

^^^^THIS. A kind of Final Fantasy 7/Gundam Seed Destiny kind of thing...

Spoiler

If anyone who might be alive is Inaho....I firmly believe that the Princess is dead (I know her name, but that really don't want to look up how to spell it.) But I am most certainly looking forward to Aldnoah Zero S2. This season was a lot of fun. And I am just drooling over that OST...I am preordering that now.

[Deacon Blues]

Here's my prediction for the start of the second arc:

Spoiler

Considering there were a couple mentions of Slaine's father and repaying debts, I wouldn't be surprised if he is somehow related to the princess, thus how he activates the unit. I'm thinking they're somehow siblings, but that may be a bit of a stretch on my part. Wouldn't surprise me in the least though. He probably takes her body away and she is put in some sort of cryo containment to preserve her or something. Then again, I can't tell if her head protector activated from her sudden jerk back (which would have to be one hell of a whiplash from getting shot...) Inaho on the other hand... unless that was a shot to the eye or a grazed head, who knows. Slain doesn't really shoot well haha

[FieryBlitz]

Well, that was one hell of a downer ending.

Spoiler

Here's hoping Princess Asseylum, Inaho, and their friends come back alive. Personally, the way they ended the last episode of season 1 escalated a little too quickly.

[Compass]

Speculations abound!

General Aldnoah Rights

Spoiler

How does one "get" the power of Aldnoah? Remember, when the Deucalion powered down, it was because the princess had died. This is a member of the royal family who activated the Aldnoah. When Count Cruhteo died, so did his landing castle's Aldnoah, i.e. Cruhteo owned the rights to activating Aldnoah.

It is likely that there is some process wherein a person is given proxy rights to activate their own Aldnoah drive. It is very likely that Asseylum gave Slaine that right at some point. It is possible that Inaho may have also gotten it. What that entails, who knows?

Princess Asseylum

Spoiler

There's a weird bit of detail here where she is shot a second time. The collar that the UEF wear, designed to protect the user's head from a concussion when jostled around, deploys. Arguably speaking, it'd be a pretty bad design if it took too long for it deploy after a collision. It is possible that the collar may have taken the hit and deployed, rather than her getting shot in the head. It seems too convenient for them to just "have the collar deploy" seeing as they didn't need anything for Inaho.

[Mythgarr]

Aldnoah Zero to me feels like..I dunno, going to work? You know there's something, but can't tell what, and you feel that you hate the thing.

The fact that Inaho could just...I dunno....punch the light out that voltron of a cataphract feels....FORCED.

Probably if the series doesn't have "realistic mechs" I won't bother watching it.

Oh well, Argevollen is still ongoing and still much better than this one...