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  • Locked thread
Taran_Wanderer
Nov 4, 2013

Caphi posted:

you'll need to write down your Crowe's birthday (or at least Zodiac sign) and blood type for this to be relevant to anybody.

e: since we're all talking about this one wiki, here's the big chart of every Spirit pool Crowe can have.

Ah, knew I was forgetting something. Thanks for the wiki link, too. Lots of interesting stuff.

http://tinyurl.com/nr9pabr

As for the spreadsheet, I've updated it to about half-way through the Stage 9's. Not much interesting was added, but I've double-checked a bunch of things. Should start getting into new data soon.

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Caphi
Jan 6, 2012

INCREDIBLE


Despite the fact that, again, Euphie has brought peace to Area 11 in a single move, Cornelia is personally opposed. Schneizel points out that she's assigned Dalton to her sister's defense; Cornelia explains that what's done is done, and now that Euphie's made her intentions public, the best thing she can do as Viceroy is not to undermine it, but to try to get the rest of the citizens on board. Having a knight stand in her defense should help. Continues Schneizel, is that also how she feels about Euphemia's next proposal? Because Schneizel remembers that humanity is threatened, and he thinks Euphie might be able to unite the whole world. Cornelia has no response, and hangs up.



Schneizel's glad Cornelia's hesitating, though, since it means he can leave Area 11 out of his "experiment." Speaking of experiments, he orders Bartley to have a "subject" transferred to the Rosenberg facility along with the prototype. There's still the matter of Kaminejima, too, but we can save dealing with that for after Area 11 settles down. He is terribly glad there's one less thing imperiling the world, with the threat of the Imperium looming...



Both Ohgi and "Chigusa" are on board with the Special Administrative Region; with the Japanese and Britannians able to live together in harmony and equality, they can finally be together...



The rebellion is as impressed as Schneizel; Euphemia has all the cards. She's more trustworthy than the mysterious masked man, and with her plan, no one gets hurt. In fact, that Kyoto corporation that secretly runs the resistance is already on her side, and it's not hard to see why. If you just want to rebuild Japan, the SAR guarantees a safe space to do it in. And not just safe from Britannia - with the Imperium, Invaders, and all those other creepy crawlies on the loose, the citizens will be keen to take an option that makes sure they have a stable place to live.

Which means, just as the Gundam boys promised last chapter, that they're ditching the Black Knights. To be precise, they were never Black Knights themselves, and now that the Area 11 resistance is toothless, they don't really have anything to gain by sticking with them. Karen can't believe they'd just cut ties like that. Ohgi, of course, wonders why they don't just back her up.

And Roger? Roger says that words like freedom and equality are very attractive, "but that's just all the more reason to be skeptical of the person saying them." But there are exceptions - like when you can trust the person saying them to follow through. And by Roger's judgment, Euphemia deserves their trust.

"Whose side are you on?" yells Tamaki.

"I always endeavor to remain on the side of nothing but the truth," smiles Roger.

And honestly, it's not like the Black Knights could back out anyway. If they participate, it would mean peace for Japan; if they oppose it, they would be opposing those words, freedom and equality.

Then we should join, right?
Whoa, Ohgi. What do you want to go in so badly for?
I bet it's a woman!
!
Can't blame him, that Euphemia's kinda a cutie!
All I want is peace...
But do you know she's telling the truth?
I don't know she's lying.



The most important voice has been missing from the vigorous debate, and at last, all eyes turn to Zero. He simply says that the Black Knights will march to Mt. Fuji...



Where a stadium full of people eagerly awaits Zero's answer themselves.



At last, he arrives, to Suzaku's surprise, and requests a private audience with Euphemia - alone. Suzaku warns Euphemia against it, but Euphemia asks him to believe in her. Zero tells Suzaku that he's part of the reason all these Japanese are gathered here - his presence, as a Japanese representative to Britannia, gives it credit in their eyes. He and Euphemia go up into her chambers...



Euphemia tells Lelouche that she's got the cameras shut off, so she wants him to remove his mask. Reluctantly, he does, then shows her a ceramic-and-bamboo gun he brought with him. But he would never shoot her - she's going to shoot him. If Euphemia were to shoot Zero here, at this event being broadcast across the world, she would lose faith and Zero would become a martyr in one swoop; if Zero then made a miraculous recovery, he would become a messiah. "Reason doesn't move people, but miracles do..."



Suddenly, Zero's eye burns. Euphemia rushes to him, but he snarls that he doesn't need pity from Euphemia li Britannia. Euphemia cries back that she's renounced her name and inheritance to the throne!

"Do you mean to say you did that for me?" growls Lelouche.

"You always were self-centered," she giggles. "No, I did it for Nunnally."

Euphemia spoke with Nunnally while Zero was abroad, and what Nunnally said was that as long as she can be with Lelouche, that's all she needs. After talking to Marina and Relena, who were both trying to figure out how they could find their own peace, that's what settled it for Euphemia. "Lelouche, understand that I have not given up a single thing that is truly, truly dear to me."

Lelouche has to admit defeat. Despite Euphemia never having been as smart or skilled as him, she's still possibly the greatest threat he's ever had to face. She wins.

...but really, do you have any faith in me at all?
Hm?
You thought you could ever convince me to shoot you?
Not at all. But no one can disobey my orders, you see.
Shoot me. Fire Suzaku. I could tell you to do anything.
Please, stop joking...
It's true.
In fact, even if I told you to kill all the Japanese, it wouldn't matter what you wanted...
All right.
Wh... no... I can't... no! I can't kill them! I won't... ugh...
What just happened? Did the Geass trigger?
I have to kill the Japanese...
(I can't control my Geass, just like Mao!)
Argh! Forget that order, Euphie!
I have to kill the Japanese!
drat it! Wait, Euphie!



Excuse me, anyone who considers themselves Japanese?
Could I trouble you to die, please?
I would appreciate it if you would kill yourselves, but I suppose that's unreasonable. Soldiers, kill them all!
Every single one!
Stop, Euphie!
I order you in the name of Euphemia li Britannia!
Kill every person who calls themself Japanese! Don't leave a single one alive!
Yes, your highness!


Chapter 36: Euphie, Stained with Blood
(Area 11 route)



Zero has the Black Knights standing by, awaiting his signal, and they have no choice but to trust him. Ohgi understands the importance of being sure of Euphemia's intent, but Todo believes Zero has them standing by precisely because Zero's already seen how this ends and that he'll need them. Quattre's the only one to suggest that Euphemia might be sincere. Roger is more interested in Zero's intent - will he accept a peaceful solution, or will he insist on achieving his goal by force?



Ime Liard just couldn't keep his nose out of ceremony, and he is positively excited for something major that is soon to happen at the stadium. No sooner than he finishes, Diethard reports from ground zero that Euphemia's ordered the extermination of the Japanese!



Diethard, for his part, is absolutely impressed at the show Zero's put on. However he did it, he's managed to get a far, far better reaction than the plan they originally discussed of having Euphemia shoot him. Lakshata can't disagree, but she's understandably disturbed by Diethard's excitement. But how could he not be? Remember, this whole thing is going worldwide - it's going to take the whole world by storm, with Zero at its eye!



Meanwhile, Dalton catches up with Zero, who decides, since he can't fix the situation, to make the most of it.



Suzaku frantically sets his handlers looking for Euphemia, who is somewhere in the confusion and riot. He himself intends to get as many Japanese as he can to safety. The Euphemia he knows would never order this...



But a strange man tells him to find Euphemia and stop her himself. He'll take care of the civilians.



The Black Knights figure this is another of Ime's tricks, but Ime says he's merely the peanut gallery. It must have been our commander. Who else could it be? The Knights refuse to believe him, but whether or not we do doesn't particularly matter to him. Crowe tells him to cut the crap and deal with him directly, but Ime, once again, says there's a reason he's going through Crowe's comrades - so Crowe's heart will waver between fighting to survive and wanting to die. Either way, more pressing is mounting a rescue operation. "This is gonna be a cliche, but I'm saying it anyway," Crowe tells Ime. "This isn't over!"



Todo orders us to break down the stadium walls and open an escape path for the Japanese.



Unfortunately, Britannian soldiers are covering Euphemia's massacre. Can we break through them in time?

Daitarn, come here!




Luckily, we don't have to! Banjou Haran summons his gargantuan robot, Daitarn 3, to do just what we were planning to, and what's more, keep the Britannians from gunning down the Japanese as they flee.

How dare you!
Silence!
!
Daitarn 3 will crush the plots of evil in the name of all the people of the world!
If you have no fear of the Sun's radiance, then face me!
Banjou! You came to this world too...
Sorry I couldn't join you earlier.

It's a good thing Banjou's on our side, but he seems saddened that the Black Knights are burning with righteous fury at the Britannian's cowardly plot. Both he and Roger know that they have no choice but to fight, at least for now.



Speaking of righteous fury, the Black Knights are raring to exterminate Britannia in just two turns.


Daitarn 3/Daifighter/Daitank (Banjou "The Motherfucking Storm" Haran)
Skills

Prevail L7
Block
Morale
Spirits
Sense
Snipe
Spirit
Traits
Blade
Shield
Transform
Weapons
Daitarn Snapper (5 EN, mobility)
Daitarn Missile (8 ammo)
Daitarn Cannon (6 ammo)
Daitarn Hammer (10 EN)
Daitarn Javelin (20 EN)
Sun Attack Storm (35 EN, 120 Will)
Sun Attack (80 EN, 130 Will, armor)
Ace Bonus: Gain 30000 G funds after finishing a scenario.

Behold your new hero.

Invincible Iron Man Daitarn 3 is the third entry completing the Invincible cycle from which we got Trider and Zambot, and probably the best - as a unit, there is very little to hate about the gargantuan Daitarn. It's all-terrain and has a variety of moves, including a good one that strips armor. Banjou is an excellent pilot with good Spirits and, rare for super robots, high Skill. And using it for Attack Again is unfair, since Daitarn, whose 120 meters puts him at size 2L (a scale normally occupied by battleships), hits with tremendous force even on a single attack.

Also, Banjou is loud, brilliant (with Roger, he untangled the misunderstanding at the heart of ZEUTH), charismatic, and prints money.

You will never use the Daitank, and you may use the Daifighter occasionally for extra movement, but it's not like it stops Daitarn from being great.



Moving on, all the GOONZ have been kicked to full Will by their outrage - even Roger and Banjou.

drat it, you dirty Buttannians! That was low!
I hope you're ready for a beating, 'cause the Black Knights ride with the anger and hatred of the true Japan!



(Chigusa... it looks like I'll have to take down Britannia for us to be together...)
(I will fight! I'll take back Japan and make us a home where we can live together!)



You can say the Japanese who came here because they believed in Britannia were foolish...
But the real villain here is Euphemia Britannia! She'll pay for trampling on the hopes of our people!



How could you... all those people who came here today wanted was to live in peace!
Euphemia li Britannia! You'll pay for this, I swear it!



(Euphemia li Britannia. You were one of Relena's friends.)
(Why did you do it? Why did you give that order?)



Roger... it seems that your judgment was mistaken.
My judgment of Sub-Viceroy Euphemia still hasn't changed.
Are you being a poor loser?
Of course not. But this still doesn't make sense.
Why did she do what she did? I want the truth.



A world ruled by violence, fear, and chaos. But it's my world now.
So Daitarn 3 and I will clear the mist of terror that chokes this world!








You may think these units are to scale. They really, really aren't.




There's something to be said for the anger and hatred of the true Japan - the Black Knights (and co.) tear through them in a berserk rage.







In fact, by turn 2, there are just a few wrecked Gloucesters left standing.



Banjou gets his next Spirit already: Guard.




Obviously, those last few knights don't last long.



Meanwhile, Euphemia is still gunning down all the Japanese she can see.

Euphemia...
Oh, goodness, I thought you were Japanese. Now, about the Special Administrative Region of Japan... oh my, it's Japan, isn't it?
I would have made it happen. By your side.

Zero points the gun at Euphemia.

Wh?
Farewell.

And pulls the trigger.

Why... Lelou...
(Goodbye, Euphie. I think you were my first love.)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!
Suzaku...
Euphie! Euphiiiiiiiie!
...



C. C. comes to get Zero out, leaving Euphie in Suzaku's arms...



She didn't think Lelouche would actually do it, but soon realizes what actually happened. Zero begins to blame C. C. for making the pact, but composes himself and informs the Black Knights that he ended Euphemia's life.



Ime, of course, is very pleased with all the wavering, as well as what he knows to be Zero's ever-expanding list of sins, and of course, he's got another fight lined up for us.



Marguerite, as always, wants Crowe's head; Zero takes command instantly, ordering the Black Knights to display a majestic victory and restore hope to the Japanese after it was dashed by Britannia.



Have I mentioned, lately, how much I hate DAMons?



And not having anyone I normally use? Duo gets Fury. (I could have sworn I actually use Duo.)

En guarde, Crowe Brust!
I think she's serious this time... she wants my blood, huh?!
You took from me the last thing I had! You will pay!
...I don't care if you're some fancy honorable knight, you gotta stay frosty on the battlefield.
If I'm fighting for my life, I fight like I want to live. That means giving it all I've got...






Ow.



On the bright side, there aren't... that many DAMons. And... "only" two Rhinodamons. Though I do have to take them all out. And I've already lost a few D-listers.



A good first step is to knock out as many Bulldamons as I can.




Roger gets Fury too, and Dorothy gets Bless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xxrn5eH7XU

And here is some DAITARN 3.







Aaaa no goddammit.






I really dislike this stage.



It takes the entirety of one agonizing turn to finish the DAMons.



All there really is left to do is finish Pearlnail.









The usual happens.



Zero calls his men back to his base, and can't fully keep the sadness out of his voice. Banjou has a few questions for him, too...



From his mysterious perch, Charles looks on.

Heh heh... ha ha ha ha ha ha! He did it!
Fight, Lelouche, my son! No, Zero!
Your Geass is the power of the King! But the extent of its power is in your hands!
Struggle! Fight! Until you can no longer, or the world is united!



Cornelia is on her way, so Lloyd and Cecille give Suzaku and Euphemia some privacy.

Suzaku...
I'm here, Euphie.
Just tell me one thing. Why did you give those orders?
Orders... what orders?
!
But Suzaku... aren't you... Japanese?
Uh... yes...
I...
Euphie!
I... can't... kill Suzaku... why... I couldn't...
Euphie...
Suzaku... the ceremony. Japan. How did...
Don't you remember, Euphie?
Were the Japanese... happy?
...
Was... was I good?
Euphie, the SAR...
...was a huge success. Everyone in Japan was really happy.
Good...
But it's strange... I can't see... your face...
!
Go... to school... I... never finished...
Euphie, you can still go! You can even come with me to Ashford! It'll be fun! We'll go together...
Go... for me...
No! Euphie, no!
I... I'm really... happy to...
Euphie! Euphie!!
(Why? Why did you...)
Do you really want to know?
I...
...
What's a kid doing here?
Hello, Suzaku Kururugi. My name is V. V.
V... two?
Everything is his fault. Zero's the one that made Euphemia go wrong.
How do you know...
I'll tell you, and I'll you who Zero is too.
!
In fact, Zero is someone you know.
Suzaku Kururugi... if you want to know the truth, fight. Fight to change the world.



Diethard wants to know just what Zero did, but Zero changes the subject to world events. Well, of course, terrorism is spiking while DAMons overrun the globe. Speaking of, Banjou's been following the Imperium at F. S.'s behest, and it was on Ime's trail that he came to Area 11. He's ascertained that there's a goal behind their seeming capriciousness - this exact thing was their aim, to plunge the world into endless war.

Diethard does not appreciate Banjou interfering at the stadium; he was hoping for "a panorama of carnage." The Black Knights have no interest in minimizing casualties. Of course, the actual Black Knights have every interest in minimizing Japanese casualties and tell him so, but Diethard simply says that they were necessary sacrifices to Zero's new Japan.

Zero himself doesn't agree with Diethard either, and he thanks Banjou for the help - of course, anything to limit the damage he caused through Euphemia.



Kagura - the defacto "Empress" of the Kyoto group that controls the Japanese resistance - has come to meet Zero, and she was quite insistent. You see, she wanted to see her "future husband" in person. Oh, of course they were going to. If he's going to rule Japan, he needs someone at his side.

"You think I can win?" asks Zero.

"Indeed, because I am a goddess of victory."

"Unfortunately," says Zero cagily, "I've already sold myself to the devil. I'm in no position to follow a goddess."

Zero has a less poetic alternative - he's going to rejoin GOONZ. He knows Elgan should be gathering it back together in response to the Imperium's latest move. Diethard protests that now is the time to strike while the iron of Japan's fury is hot, but Zero says, as always, that as long as the Imperium is allowed to run loose, neither Japan nor the world will know any kind of peace. Besides, the Black Knights have to represent a force for good. The other GOONZ agree - now is not the time to worry about Britannia. Meanwhile, Zero orders Diethard to organize the remaining resistance for the upcoming battle, and not to make a big deal of today's events. He's resolved to defeat the Imperium - as a step to reclaiming Euphie's dream of peace, and a tiny fraction of recompense for crushing it.



Lelouche swings by Ashford; he claims it's to mourn Euphemia.

Lelouche. Have you ever hated someone so much you would kill them?
Yes.
I always thought that was wrong. I thought you had to follow the rules or it was just murder.
But now I find myself fighting to kill someone because I just hate them so much.
And that would be...
Yep.
Go ahead.
!
It's for Euphie, isn't it? But I'm prepared. I won't take it back.
Thank you, Lelouche.
Of course. We're friends, aren't we?
For seven years now.
Yeah...
Sorry. I won't be able to see you go.
I'm going off to battle.
That's all right. Be safe.
Yeah. Goodbye, Lelouche.
(Suzaku... do you suspect me, deep down?)
(Well, that's fine. I have nothing left to lose.)
(Suzaku, my hands are stained. Come at me if you want; I'll respond in kind.)
(Because we're friends. Hahahahahaha... bahahahahahahahahaha!)
(Maybe I've wanted this ever since then... to destroy, to lose...)
(But you have to destroy to create. And if emotion gets in the way, I'll get rid of it.)
Are we going, Lelouche?
Let's. It's all I have left.
(You look sad, Lelouche. Is this how you plan to atone?)



Well, wasn't that fun?

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn
And in the end, Lelouche's fatal flaw that screws everything forever isn't his pride, his tendency to treat people as tools, or his unwillingness to give up his friendship with Suzaku.

No he just tells really bad jokes.

Spiritus Nox
Sep 2, 2011

....Ehhhhh.

I like the scenes that Euphie's fall enabled, but the actual setup was...obviously kind of weak. Shame Z2 didn't seem to help. Indeed, they don't really try to hard to justify Lelouche leaving to rejoin GOONZ rather than press on in his campaign. In the show, this incident incites a wave of rebellion across Japan that lets the Black Knights sweep across the nation and into Tokyo for the season finale. Having Zero just up and leave in the game where the show had him spin the massacre into total victory is really...weird.

Spiritus Nox fucked around with this message at 08:27 on Nov 19, 2013

wielder
Feb 16, 2008

"You had best not do that, Avatar!"

BlitzBlast posted:

And in the end, Lelouche's fatal flaw that screws everything forever isn't his pride, his tendency to treat people as tools, or his unwillingness to give up his friendship with Suzaku.

No he just tells really bad jokes.

More like all of the above! And then some.

If Lelouch were a different person, he could try to explain things and make constructive amends. But nope, he doesn't. It all becomes another part of the chess game he's playing and not willing to back away from. I guess it's almost admirable, in abstract terms, to see how far Lelouch is prepared to go...but in practice it's simply another sign of just how twisted and obsessive his own judgment is.

The joke's still pretty dumb and all, of course, even with its meta anti-Lacus implications and so on. I didn't expect the game to change it.

ImpAtom
May 24, 2007

The problem with Lelouch's 'joke' is that its' really clear what they originally intended: Lelouch to make Euphemia do something horrible as a sign of him finally falling. but for whatever reason the writers chickened out at the last minute and it becomes "uh, well, I made a bad joke just as my magic eye hosed up!" Probably because Lelouch was already getting super-popular by that timeframe.

Basically everything that happens in Geass from this point makes more sense if Lelouch made the decision himself instead of it being a wacky coincidence. It turns it from a serious character moment to everything that happens from here on out being the result of a plot contrivance of magnificent proportions.

ImpAtom fucked around with this message at 10:39 on Nov 19, 2013

Broken Loose
Dec 25, 2002

PROGRAM
A > - - -
LR > > - -
LL > - - -
In the context of the show (and the conversation happening at the time), the "joke" makes perfect sense, as a hypothetical example of him making up something on the fly that Euphy would never do of her own free will. Any other hypotheticals would just be poo poo like "I could tell you to blow up the moon" or "I could tell you to film a porno on stage in front of everybody and distribute it for free" but they'd seem like non-sequitors.

And during the show, Lelouch is pretty much just winging it when he takes advantage of the Japanese massacre. He even mentions how the ensuing battle and fallout is way easier than his initial martyr plan, body count aside, especially because the Black Knights can just swoop in and save the day.


Also, not mentioned here is that Lelouch has to wear a contact lens over his Geass eye from this point on when he's not wearing the Zero mask because it's permanently activated.

Broken Loose fucked around with this message at 10:41 on Nov 19, 2013

GimmickMan
Dec 27, 2011

This is my favorite part of Geass right there.

Characters colossally loving up in ways that could have easily been avoided is the heart of tragedy. Code Geass is no Oedipus Rex, but it sure is trying to one-up it in making the characters as miserable as possible.

veekie
Dec 25, 2007

Dice of Chaos

Broken Loose posted:

In the context of the show (and the conversation happening at the time), the "joke" makes perfect sense, as a hypothetical example of him making up something on the fly that Euphy would never do of her own free will. Any other hypotheticals would just be poo poo like "I could tell you to blow up the moon" or "I could tell you to film a porno on stage in front of everybody and distribute it for free" but they'd seem like non-sequitors.

It's SRW. There's always the use of Moon Vandalizing Attacks.

KDavisJr
Jul 17, 2010

A real avatar never dies, even when it's replaced!
What I find hilarious (and very annoying) is that Lelouche has more or less hosed himself over for a long time due to his stupidity. If you had a bit more self control, Euphie wouldn't have issued an order of murder on the Japanese, forcing you to kill her, making Suzaku hate you with every fiber in your being, and making you formulate a myriad of plans (which may or may not fail spectacularly)

Brunom1
Sep 5, 2011

Ask me about being the best dad ever.
Ah, well. A terrible event brought about by a combination of bad luck and bad jokes; still, like Kamina's death, completely central to Geass' story as a whole.

More importantly, though, we get our resident Super Robot James Bond to pair up with our Super Robot Batman!


I'll be honest, I prefer multi-pilot Supers to single-pilot ones 90% of the time but I often make an exception for Banjou due to his excellent stats and the fact that his Sun Attack reduces Armor (plus, that ace bonus is pretty sweet :signings: ).

His massive size can lead to some amusing shenanigans with equipable parts, as I often giggle when he pulls a ninja-dodge while using a Hyper Jammer.

GodofDiscord
Sep 5, 2013

Not the strongest, but the cutest.

Broken Loose posted:

Also, not mentioned here is that Lelouch has to wear a contact lens over his Geass eye from this point on when he's not wearing the Zero mask because it's permanently activated.

:aaaaa:
Seriously!? I did not know that at all. I thought the Geassed eye just went away after some time. That's actually really neat! Thanks for the info!
Well regardless, we can finally go out of the route split's and the team can get back together.

TwoPair
Mar 28, 2010

Pandamn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta
Grimey Drawer

Broken Loose posted:

Also, not mentioned here is that Lelouch has to wear a contact lens over his Geass eye from this point on when he's not wearing the Zero mask because it's permanently activated.

A super-special contact that he can just put in and take out with no problems at all. (I get it, it's a cartoon, but that always irked me. Contacts are a pain.)

But yeah, I always liked that Code Geass would've ended in that episode if not for Lelouche telling a dead baby joke. "Well I could tell you to go on a murder spree but that'd be crazy wait what what are you doing"

TwoPair fucked around with this message at 22:36 on Nov 19, 2013

thetruegentleman
Feb 5, 2011

You call that potato a Trump avatar?

THIS is a Trump Avatar!

TwoPair posted:


But yeah, I always liked that Code Geass would've ended in that episode if not for Lelouche telling a dead baby joke. "Well I could tell you to go on a murder spree but that'd be crazy wait what what are you doing"

It wouldn't have ended: VV would have forced Lelouche to go on the offense with or without the black knights.

Actually, that would have been a more interesting way of doing this: Euphemia gets her way, but Zero gets shot by VV in front of the whole crowd, making everyone go bananas. Zero tries to geass a solider into saving him, and instead accidentally geasses most of the crowd because his eye leveled up. Having Karen shoot Euphemia in revenge for Zero and the crowd would have added a whole new dynamic in everyone's relations, and a wounded Zero trying to keep everything together and protect his sister while he slowly bleeds out through his stitches would have been far more intense.

Of course, that wouldn't have given Suzu as much of a reason to hate Zero, since Suzu is much too rational to not act like a total moron, so its not a perfect fix.

Ardeem
Sep 16, 2010

There is no problem that cannot be solved through sufficient application of lasers and friendship.
I keep trying to post things and they keep turning into giant walls of black bars about Code Geas, so I'll just say keep up the good work, and I want to see where the game goes from here.

Montegoraon
Aug 22, 2013

thetruegentleman posted:

Of course, that wouldn't have given Suzu as much of a reason to hate Zero, since Suzu is much too rational to not act like a total moron, so its not a perfect fix.

Who exactly are you talking about? This "Suzu" can't possibly be Suzaku, because he's a staggering moron whose webs of rationalization and self loathing make for an epic gordian knot of mental fuckupedness.

Caphi
Jan 6, 2012

INCREDIBLE


Moving on from the Euphemia incident, Britannia, the AEU, and the HRL are finally forming a military alliance to answer the growing threats to the world from within and without, overseen by the U. N.'s Peacekeeping Council.



Marina watches, glad that the three great nations of the world are finally joining together as one, but Sirin reminds her that that's not quite true. The nations are trying to keep their enemies closer, as they say, especially since the leaked Celestial Being secrets are public knowledge. The three nations will ensure they are advancing, but none faster than the others, and while it is a different world from the one before the treaty, smaller nations like Azadistan will only suffer for it.

Even so, Marina believes it's progress that the world is standing up as one against the Imperium, but even that's far from true. Britannia's Areas are rising up in protest against the massacre of the Elevens, and the Imperium's DAMons descend on these conflicts like vultures; four whole Areas have had their government facilities reduced to warring wastelands as a result.

Sirina asks if Marina had heard anything from Euphemia, since the two were personal friends. It's strange - Euphemia was beaming about the SAR plan before it happened, and she can still hardly believe what Euphemia did.

But it's kind of ironic; the Imperium is a symbol of war that unites the world against it. Isn't that what Celestial Being was trying to do? Marina hadn't thought of it that way, but it makes sense that their endgame was to turn the whole world against it as one - just like what allegedly happened when the Frontier's Earth was attacked by aliens. The question is, how does Celestial Being feel that the villain is being played not by them, but by an outside force they can't direct? And how do they, the rest of GOONZ, and their rumored associate Elgan Roddick feel about the establishment of the U. N. Forces?



The GOONZ catch each other up on the route split. In Japan, there was the Heterodyne attack, the Mechabeast invasion, and the Jet Scrander, ending in the defeat and seeming withdrawal of Dr. Hell... but also the death of Michiru and Saotome's vow to destroy the world. In Area 11, of course, one thing happened which rocked the rest of the world, with the Imperium capitalizing on the confusion. The rest of the GOONZ are just as mad as anyone at Euphemia's trick, but only Lelouche and C. C. know the truth of what she tried to do.



Kappei's glad to see Banjou again, since they were the best team in ZEUTH - Watta's almost jealous of how close a pair they are, since he's Kappei's new partner. Banjou promises they'll figure out a teamup with all three of them - the best three-man super move ever!

In the meantime, F. S. is planning our next move with our fearless leaders; we have a lot of enemies on our plate, after all...



Sumeragi's got a delivery; the Ptolemaios' Assault Bays have finally arrived from space. The Assault Bays upgrade the ship's MS bays with external weaponry, as well as the ability to connect their built-in GN Arms to either Exia or Dynames, expanding their range and firepower. This means the Ptolemaios is no longer defenseless in combat.

Moving onto the joint issue of the U. N. Forces and the Celestial Being leak, Ozma doesn't see the problem. Shouldn't the U. N. be equipped to fight the Imperium? Sumeragi confirms for us Sirin's theory that the Imperium is doing, after a fashion, what Celestial Being aimed to, but the problem is something Zero points out Ozma, being from offworld, wouldn't see: the danger that the wrong person could assume complete control of the UNF. Such as the Celestial Being traitor himself, for instance. If one person was manipulating all of this from the shadows, we would have to assume they had all the cards.

At least the UNF is under the oversight of the WPC, so Chairman Roddick is the one holding the leash. We may not be able to trust him all the way, but it's probably in his best interest to keep it tight for now - and we have higher priorities at the moment. The CB traitor has ties to the PMC in Moralia, and there we might find a clue to his identity - though one false step and we will find the world at our throats. For now, it seems like our best course of action is to keep an eye on the UNF while showing our stuff defending the world from the Invaders, beastmen, and Imperium.



But let's turn to F. S., who, with his stable of mysterious robots, unlimited well of resources, and completely unhackable server, clearly knows something we don't. He'd like to say he'll tell us in time, but the others aren't having it. Can he at least tell us what he wants?

The reason he's in GOONZ, he murmurs, is "to safeguard the future of humanity, nothing more or less."

That's not much of an answer, but he says it's true, and no bit an understatement. We should understand it soon enough, anyway - "With the current of history beginning to accelerate, he won't be able to sit idle."



Ru says someone's at the door. That's highly unusual - Dragon's Hive is unmarked and secure. Who would even know how to find this place? Whoever it is, they seem to just want to talk. Ru says it's a group of idols...



Are you kidding me?

Okay, fine, Eida's brought her whole gang to our super secret robot base, nothing wrong with this (only Grace is genuinely suspicious of her resourcefulness). Super secret bases have their advantages, though - Eida tells the girls to kick back and relax, since there's no chance of any stalkers or paparazzos finding them here. On the other hand, they're sure to find their boys here, aren't they? Sheryl, despite being on break, has brought her manager because she is all business... and because she's still not completely fit again after that last concert.



Nia wanders, completely lost, into their room, and Eida instantly jumps on her and tries to get her to sing with them. Nia starts singing Aimo, making them think she's on Team Ranka, but then she says that she heard it from her dad since she was a baby! The song wasn't made public until Bird-Human, of course, but it goes back much further for Ranka, the only memory she has from before Ozma found her.

Nia explains that her dad is the king of the beastmen, confusing the issue even more, before finally remembering that she was on her way to somewhere. She skips out, leaving Ranka completely gobsmacked, and Grace, always the only carver in a drawer full of butter knives, wondering why the king of beasts would know the song from Ranka's memories.


Chapter 37: Noble, and Beautiful



Alto, the dog, is taking Sheryl and Ranka out for a joyride - together, both stuffed into his back seat. He congratulates Ranka on managing to get a break, but the truth is that she was supposed to be on tour with Eida in Area 16 before violence broke out and it was called off on account of danger. In fact, half of GOONZ would have leapt at the chance to escort Sheryl or Ranka themselves, and Alto suspects he landed the duty because he doesn't particularly feel anything for them. Not the best thing to say, Alto!



But Sheryl brushes it off and offers some music for the ride. Of course, the VF-25 doesn't have a speaker system, but who needs one when the real thing is right there? Only one of them can sing, though; Alto chooses Sheryl, the same choice as he made at Gallia, and Alto and Ranka both enjoy What 'bout my star. They chat about Eida again as Sheryl sings; Ranka still has no idea how Eida found Dragon's Hive. What if we asked Johnny?



Alto is warned that a beastman squadron is approaching just as they arrive, squawking that they've found the humans the Spiral King wants. GOONZ is on the way, but Alto will have to protect Ranka and Sheryl until they arrive...



Being that GOONZ is arriving from the east, and we are under no particular time pressure...



Alto can just head to the rendezvous point and wait.



Two turns later, GOONZ arrives; they may not have been around to protect Sheryl and Ranka from the beastmen, but damned if they're not going to give them a beating for it. Yet again, Grace is the only one focused on the important points: the beastmen were also there at Sheryl's concert all those moons ago. "Do the monsters know of the power of music?"

Johnny finally reveals to Ranka that he's a Dancouga pilot, and Rasse is totally ready to show off the Ptolemy's new firepower.

Watch out, Simon! They're attacking from above!
They wouldn't stand a chance if Gurren-Lagann had its own wings...



Here we go, Rossiu! Super!



O-okay! Inazuma!



KICK!



:allears:

Alto...
Alto!
(If I can't protect them now, then why do I fly?)
(I have to... this is my sky to fly in!)



I'm just going to skip right along.



Sumeragi learns Guard with perfect timing for her new, less-constantly-defending role.



Beastmen being beastmen, they clean up in a couple of turns.

Simon's glad Ranka's safe; she inspires him, you know. GOONZ finally starts to clue in to the fact that this isn't the first time the beastmen have attacked a musician...



But now we have Invaders to deal with!



One of them goes for Alto's craft...



And the Red Dancouga swoops in to save him! Alto wonders why it would save him, but Team D remembers that the R-Daigun stepped in at Gallia Base as well - not to save Alto, but for Sheryl and Ranka. Ranka realizes that the pilot can only be Eida Rossa.

Eida and Johnny look sadly at each other, but the Invaders are still hungry for, seemingly, pop star blood. Why would the mindless, savage Invaders do this? Yet again, only Grace seems to have an idea - "Going by this, Little Queen's awakening will have an even greater impact than I calculated. Or is it Sheryl?"

Dancouga and R-Daigun call a cease-fire to fight off the Invaders. Johnny only has one thing to say about Eida's revelation: "Just make it out alive."



And now we have a clock - wipe out all enemies within three turns of the Invaders' arrival. Unfortunately, it's not going to be that easy.



Oh, stop pretending you haven't already told us who it is five times over.



The main problem with the Invaders is going to be the ones far to the west.





I think we'll be okay, though.




Unfortunately, there's also something else approaching from above.



What the hell are these things? There's no data on them anywhere in our databanks, but they sure don't look terrestrial. Banjou recognizes them - "heralds from the Moon."



The alien robots fire on us; the Daigun dives in to engage. It's taking fire, but Totally Not Eida groans that she has to do this - for the Earth's future! Team D wants to be right by her side...

Then show me how much you want it.




Final Dancouga appears, burning with the same energy as Nova's God Beast Mode - but much more powerful. Its crew shout that Dancouga's wild, untamed power must not be leashed by reason - and it's about to go wild!







This attack takes shots of itself, honestly.



Shinobu covers the Daigun's escape from the line of fire. Banjou explains that Final Dancouga is F. S.'s ultimate weapon, the original robot Nova was based on. We'll have to take out those unknown before they can explain everything, though. (Not that they can explain what the aliens are either.)

Also, the three turn time limit is still in effect.



There are only a few of these "Regulus Alpha" machines, but they're rocking about 16000 HP each, so knocking down the one that Shinobu kindly beat up for us sounds like a good place to start.

I can't afford to lose! R-Daigun and I are here to fight these!






Shinobu! Are you okay?
I'm all recovered now. No more holding back!
Which means it's back to dealing with Shinobu's recklessness for the rest of us...
Heh. Back to the fun.
I don't care what world we're in - we know what we have to do!
Anyone wants this planet, they'll have to go through us!
We'll unleash the beasts within us... let's go wild!







Great, more mysterious unknown enemies.
I don't think they've come to introduce themselves.
Then let's send them home. The hard way.
Right! Dancouga Nova's not backing down from a fight with anybody!









"Hell Stingers" reduces mobility, but it doesn't really matter to the likes of Dancouga (or Team Invincible, for that matter).



So it is the first turn of 3, we're more or less nicely spread out, the Invaders don't take more than a couple of hits, and we have a power team ready to welcome the Regulus to Earth.



Poor Setsuna's getting swarmed.






And this happens in Regulus news.



Most of the Invaders need another hit at best at this point.




In fact, let's ignore the Invaders; there's just one straggler left.



Those Regulus actually withstand a few hits.

Okay! Time for the Zambot Moon Sun Bird Attack!
Hey! You mean the Trider Bird Sun Moon Attack!
That name sucks!
Well, so does yours!
That's enough, you two. All together now!
Okay! Finishing attack!
Invincible!
Combination!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqXhMJI-j9c

But they can't stand up to the might of the Invincibles.



Anyway, these last two should be eas--



Oh.




gently caress you too.





At least now we can hit it properly, since its buddy only has one support.



And there go the Invaders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbPChFcny38

Final does something completely unnecessary. Enjoy.




And Nova offs the last enemy standing.



And that's it. Eida leaves, but the Final crew promises that we'll see her again eventually. "If you walk the same path, someday you'll walk it together," says Ryo sagely.

F. S. has given Final permission to fill us in. Probably because the ones who would come finally did. Would this be the "oncoming threat" F. S. warned us about at the party?



Since I brought Trider and Daitarn, I get the benefit of both their skills, I guess. Nostalgic.



Eida reports her loss to her boss, the oddly named Vladimir. She's not particularly broken up that Eida abandoned the Trinities or that they've been iced along with Laguna Harvey - she never liked that partnership anyway. What matters is that the Daigun has enabled Nova to achieve God Beast Mode. If anything, Vlad is surprised that Eida, once a hollow shell of a girl, now has the willpower to make her own decisions against her orders. Is it because of her work as a celeb? It doesn't matter; by and large, things are still going according to plan. But why wouldn't it? It's WILL's plan.



This is not according to plan, though. Now that they are no longer of use to their former allies, the PMCs have been ordered to take care of them. Vlad tells Eida to escape; she'll distract the soldiers. "You have to survive. The future of the human race depends on it."

There's no need for that.
Who's there?
You don't deserve to know my name!
Gh...
H-how... did he get us all so fast...

Sandman is the best, and I'll forgive him for not being by our side. He says a friend of his asked him to come help them. A friend?

"Indeed." Sandman smiles gently. "WILL is waiting to meet you."



Back at Dragon's Hive, F. S. promised us answers and Team D wants some. Team Cyber Beast Force is impressed by their new partners, and F. S. begins with their Dancouga. Its tech isn't of this world - it was brought to this one by a dimensional quake some years ago. They had just had a hard battle against Emperor Muge Zolbatos, an alien who tried to conquer their Earth, and they were in bad shape when F. S. happened across them - so bad that F. S. had to put them in suspended animation while they went through their years-long healing process and he repaired their Dancouga. It was over those years that he had Dancouga Nova built in Final Dancouga's image. F. S. didn't know if or when he'll ever come to this Earth, so Nova was created preemptively in case that ever happened.

As for Dancouga's mission of equalizing armed conflict? That's a complicated answer, so I'll start with F. S.'s words: "Dancouga Nova is not merely a weapon. It is all life on Earth." Within its body is kept vital data on every life form on Earth, enough to recreate those organisms if the planet were ever destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. However, there is a single entry in that database which has always been incomplete, the most complex species of all: humans. To complete it and achieve Nova's true purpose, F. S. had various people pilot it so it could collect data from them. That's why everyone on the Nova is so different, because Nova has to learn about every kind of human. Of course, Team D is not mere data samples. F. S. also selected a team capable of pushing Dancouga to its limit and ultimate form, the God Beast Mode.

On the other hand, if Dancouga is just a time capsule of life on Earth, why couldn't they just fill out the database by analyzing humans quietly or using sample containers? Basically, why does it have to be a war machine at all? Why interfere in conflicts, why mount guns on the thing? And why prolong war by supporting the losing side?

F. S.'s answer: that Dancouga must be a weapon, and must be strong, to protect humanity. From that oncoming threat? "That is among them, I suppose," says F. S. We all know there's a lot threatening this planet; F. S. says with certainty that a war will come that will destroy the planet, and all of Dancouga Nova's power will not stop it, and only the void of space will remain for it and its vessel of data. Dancouga Nova is simultaneously a defender of the Earth and an ark to preserve it, and it must be ever more powerful for it to fulfill both of those duties.

So let's talk about the Daigun. F. S. says it's the work of an ally of his, someone with the same goal. The two Dancougas must fight, struggle, and drive each other to ever higher heights of power, so that they will have power enough to stand up to "the strongest foe." And no, he won't confirm for us who's in it.

F. S. won't deny that technically, Dancouga doesn't need Team D anymore. It's extracted their data and could probably fight as well as them on that alone. Nova's the important thing here; the machine itself will be the world's only hope when Armageddon falls.

Hope? Don't make me laugh!
...
If you've given up before the battle's started, you have no right to use that word!
I'm with her.
Dancouga's an ark? So you're planning your escape before you've even begun to fight!
...
We owed you for saving us. That's why we've been helping you. But after hearing that, I'm done.
If we keep working for you, we'll turn into losers too!
Whoa...
That's the CBF philosophy.
You gotta want to win to have a chance.
We refuse to be beaten until we don't have an ounce of strength left to fight.
Every single one of us would agree.
Then what would you do?
Isn't it obvious? We're joining GOONZ. They don't like your style either.
Really?
Yep. We're at your service.
We're glad to have you, CBF.
Let the strongest foe come. Let our doom fall. We welcome anyone who would rise up against them.
Mr. F. S., I understand your logic, but we can't accept it.
...fine. We're allies, nothing more. I won't stop you.
Use the two Dancouga as you wish.
Goodbye, F. S. We'll do things our way from here on out.
Thanks for everything. We haven't forgotten what we owe you.



On the other hand, Tanaka doesn't believe F. S. was still telling the whole truth.



As for WILL, their reaction just proves to him how tough they are - but that may prove humanity's undoing. Mankind has not ceased war since the dawn of the race - why would they stop now just because they're threatened with extinction? "Even the Imperium can be considered an artifact of humanity's arrogance."

F. S. has faith in humanity, and he knows WILL is aware of at least one reason why. "Songs?" says WILL with robotic evenness. "There is just a possibility that it deserves faith. But the other me, the one who denies that possibility, has made his move."

The other WILL is watching humanity very closely now that the Imperium and the UNF are poised against one another. It's clear what his judgment will be...



Meanwhile, Edwards Base is receiving thirty new GN Drives, the reactors allegedly using Gundam tech. Each of the major nations will maintain control of ten units, giving each one ten seats in the joint army, but that's in addition to whatever else they can supply. For instance, Zechs's Tallgeese won't use a GN Drive, and Britannia has its own new unit which Schneizel is adding to the UNF. Britannia will also likely assign the Overflags to spearhead their end of the operations, with Graham in the lead, of course. But Graham turns the Overflag down - he will fight to the end in a flag, as he vowed to the late Howard Mason. To make up for the Flag's lagging specs, he wants Billy to mount one of the GN Drives in it. It's going to be a Flag destined to slay a Gundam.

Broken Loose
Dec 25, 2002

PROGRAM
A > - - -
LR > > - -
LL > - - -

Caphi posted:

Meanwhile, Edwards Base is receiving thirty new GN Drives, the reactors allegedly using Gundam tech. Each of the major nations will maintain control of ten units, giving each one ten seats in the joint army, but that's in addition to whatever else they can supply. For instance, Zechs's Tallgeese won't use a GN Drive, and Britannia has its own new unit which Schneizel is adding to the UNF. Britannia will also likely assign the Overflags to spearhead their end of the operations, with Graham in the lead, of course. But Graham turns the Overflag down - he will fight to the end in a flag, as he vowed to the late Howard Mason. To make up for the Flag's lagging specs, he wants Billy to mount one of the GN Drives in it. It's going to be a Flag destined to slay a Gundam.

Does he offer a reasoning for this? I mean, I know why the unit can't be equipped with a GN Drive, but what's the plot excuse?

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn
I think the logic is "we can have nine new units and a stronger Tallgeese or ten new units and Tallgeese". And of course it'd probably be a massive pain in the rear end to completely rehaul the design so a GN drive would work.

Hell, Tallgeese would be a terrible choice for a GN drive if you think about it. What's the point of having those giant thrusters if your main lift comes from the drive?

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

Final Dankuuhou is so drat weird. What's with those sexy cut-ins? Did that happen in the show itself or is this just for SRW (like Final itself)?

GimmickMan
Dec 27, 2011

Caphi's translation has the most coherent explanation of F.S's reasoning I've ever read. It is still a bit weird around the edges but at least it attempts to make sense.

Blaze Dragon posted:

Final Dankuuhou is so drat weird. What's with those sexy cut-ins? Did that happen in the show itself or is this just for SRW (like Final itself)?

Because Final Dancouga never got to exist in the show itself, pretty much all of its animation quirks are things the SRW staff came up with. Ryou does the thing where he takes control of Dancouga to punch some giant aliens early in the show with his own sweet moves, but I still have no idea where the attack that takes shots of itself came from.

Caphi
Jan 6, 2012

INCREDIBLE

Broken Loose posted:

Does he offer a reasoning for this? I mean, I know why the unit can't be equipped with a GN Drive, but what's the plot excuse?

I guess I was unclear, yeah. My bad. By "won't," what he actually said was that there's no need to equip it with one.

TK-31 posted:

Caphi's translation has the most coherent explanation of F.S's reasoning I've ever read. It is still a bit weird around the edges but at least it attempts to make sense.

Having actually watched Nova, but long enough ago that I don't really remember it, I think the main addition is a better answer to the question of "but why is it a super fighting robot?" SRW universes, the Z megaverse in particular, have a lot more bullshit to deal with than one robot's nemesis, so it's completely understandable that F. S. would want to use his super life force technology thingie as firepower against the "oncoming threats" in addition to a Plan B. In fact, with all the plot points going on, I don't think the game really needed Dancouga Nova's final boss at all. (Luckily, the sum total of his intervention is crunched into a couple of chapters over the course of just a handful.)

Specifically, I'm not sure how much of the mythos F. S. knows (we'll learn a great deal about the prophecies at play in Restoration), but if he does, then when he predicts the destruction of the Earth, that's probably what he really means, not this "Moon WILL" douchebag.

I like writing words about the structure of SRW and how it alters the plots of its components.

Wounded Land
Nov 27, 2007
Living in a greenhouse, growing crops that we can't eat...
Invincible Combination! :swoon:
Final Dancouhou! :allears: (Whenever I see those cutins I wonder if they took them from that OAV that was all music videos :p)

And screw you Sandman, you're not Rom Stohl.

GodofDiscord
Sep 5, 2013

Not the strongest, but the cutest.

Caphi posted:

I guess I was unclear, yeah. My bad. By "won't," what he actually said was that there's no need to equip it with one.

Zechs doesn't need pixie sparkles on his mech.
Zechs naturally emits sparkle energy. :v:

Caphi
Jan 6, 2012

INCREDIBLE

Wounded Land posted:

And screw you Sandman, you're not Rom Stohl.

True - but as it turns out, he is Rom's brother Guardi (Shou Hayami). I think these people will take any excuse they can find to use that line.

Alacron
Feb 15, 2007

-->Have tearful reunion with your son
-->Eh
Fun Shoe
You know, I remember the first time I played a SRW game years ago, and all I was interested in was the Gundams, I saw Banjou getting a lot of screen-time (no idea what was being said since I don't know Japanese) and thinking

:smug:: Who's this fuckin guy? I'll bet he's super lame.

I was very, very wrong.

Brunom1
Sep 5, 2011

Ask me about being the best dad ever.

Caphi posted:

True - but as it turns out, he is Rom's brother Guardi (Shou Hayami). I think these people will take any excuse they can find to use that line.

Knowing Sandman, he probably has a collection of Machine Robo anime and was just waiting for a chance to use that line.

Caphi
Jan 6, 2012

INCREDIBLE


Remember that 303rd that Holland claimed he was in? Well, and try to contain your surprise, he isn't. Once upon a time, Major General Dewey Sorenstram, overseer of the UN's counter-Image operations, was accused of using war orphans he'd taken in for dimensional physics experiments - culminating in the Agony of Doha, it would seem. Before the inquiry was concluded, he was assassinated and the matter was covered up. But Coda Lavelle here has been doing her own digging into the matter since then, under the table, and that led her back to Holland - and to Elgan. Holland Novak's team was indeed the 303rd Independent, and Dewey's suspected assassins, but she knows that the Holland Novak who Elgan assigned to GOONZ is a different man entirely, someone who eliminated the 303rd and assumed their identities.

Elgan knew all of this, so why did he employ Holland? Elgan coolly replies that it doesn't matter. They may pin the assassination on the current Holland Novak, but they can't touch him while he's under Elgan's protection. Coda's only here to find out the truth for herself, though. Why Holland was in GOONZ, why he's now left GOONZ, and what they intend to do with the Imáge spy robot and her boyfriend. So Elgan tells her the truth - about what became of the children of Doha, and why they want to reach Neverland so they never have to grow up. Neverland is another multiverse, one that almost crumbled, but was restored at the last moment by the combined will of humanity. It's a universe reborn by dimensional restoration, the same phenomenon that brought the Imáge to this universe, and Holland intends to "restore" this dimension the same way - by destroying its spacetime, then using the Imáge to recreate it. You hardly even need to look at the effects of the Agony of Doha to see how dangerous a plan this is, but Elgan morosely says that Holland would destroy a world that wouldn't let him live in it. In fact, Elgan is pretty sure he's already found out who can create a dimensional quake for him. Yes, Holland is going to try to puppetmaster the Imperium...



But who arrives at the Vodoh gently caress it, they're going to be cryptic.

Are you one without hope? Or do you have something to hope for?
That's an excellent question.
I know you. ...no, I knew you once.
I saw you in a dream... suffering.
Of course. You were born from their lost memories.
When you go to rest... you must go with peace, not rage, mustn't you?
I know, but I can't find peace in any world I visit.
Tell me where to find the thing that damned me to this endless hell.
What will you do if I do?
You know what.
Whqurrr...
Don't be angry. Everyone has the right to pursue happiness.
Even me?
Even you. So I'll give you the answer you seek.
The Imáge's lost memories. The heralds who were there when the universe was born...

Play Super Robot Wars Z!



Anyway, back in a magical land where people speak actual Japanese, Sheryl's left. Ozma, to his disgruntlement, has lost track of Ranka, and Crowe chimes in that he doesn't want to suffocate her. Which brings us to, who gets to escort her out, anyway? Kei points out it can't be Alto - with Sheryl absent, it wouldn't be fair to let Ranka at him like that. Ozma roars that he'll do it himself rather than let this band get their paws on her; unfortunately, he's needed at the strategic meeting. Crowe offers to take her, but even he's not safe from Ozma's judgment; he gets accused of plotting to ransom her off. Finally, he gets to Athrun, who's only come to call him upstairs - "I don't know why, but my gut doesn't like it!"

Ranka herself was last spotted wandering the ship looking for her pet. When did she get a pet?



She's named the thing Ai, and she's found it chittering about the Nirvash. She says it likes the robot (doesn't it not have to be a robot now?), but Renton thinks maybe it can tell the Nirvash is a creature like itself. Renton tells Ranka all about Eureka, the only other person who can communicate with the Nirvash...



Ranka's finally been found, but she wants Renton to take her back to the mainland in the Nirvash. Ozma stares Renton down for a while before he gives him his blessing (Athrun is crushed), and Ranka wants to hear more about Eureka on the way...



I'm sure we skipped a fascinating ride. Renton's glad he got to unload a little about Eureka, though; sometimes he's not sure if he can do it, but he has to try, and that thought helps him keep going. Ranka wishes she could be as lucky as Eureka, having someone come to save her. Renton wishes her well, and says so does the Nirvash.



But as Ranka leaves, Holland knocks out Renton as his squadmates capture the Nirvash...



Only to find that Crowe's tailed Renton on orders from Ozma, who expected this exact thing to happen.



But they didn't expect Holland to have his own backup. Marguerite keeps Crowe busy as Holland escapes with his spoils. But she keeps attacking, and Crowe asks why - isn't her job already over? Marguerite wants revenge for her brother, and Crowe defends himself but still has no idea what she's on about...



And Asakim appears out of nowhere, pins her down, and reminds her that Ime Liard would like Crowe dead by his own hand, not by hers. Also, he needs her to take Ime a message for him - "I'm coming for his soul." He's the Accursed Wanderer, and he's learned where to find the one who cursed him.

Marguerite leaves, and Asakim says he just didn't want Crowe to die yet, not to her. Crowe bluffs that he wasn't going to die anyway, but Asakim can tell "that the moment she talked about revenge, your scales began to waver." Crowe's getting tired of people saying poo poo like that to him, but Asakim hardly needs his friendship. Only his soul. But, luckily for Crowe, not yet. By the way, he'd also like to let Crowe know that GOONZ is on their way to the Vodarak temple, though only because he wants both Crowe's and Ime's souls at once. "I'll be waiting there, Crowe. There, my fate, yours, and Ime's will be decided."

Everything is converging on that temple. But what will we find there?



The Gekko, at least, is already there, and Hap is torturing Renton for his cooperation, while Holland is out. Renton still has no idea what's going on, and of course refuses to let them do anything to him or Eureka, so Stoner decides to at least fill him in a little. Their immediate goal is to recreate the Agony of Doha so they can get back to Neverland. Doha, of course, was a failure, but they've found the notes at Warsaw outlining a much more likely method they were working on. Codenamed Method 7-E to Recreate the Legend, or "Eureka Seven" for short. There's a crystal inside Eureka encoded with the code that will rejoin her to the Imáge. When she is, the door between dimensions will be revealed. Renton is the key to that door. "The same way we can't survive this universe," he finishes, "you can't end up with Eureka."

Stoner will only tell the rest of the story if Renton cooperates, but it has to end with all of them going to Neverland. Of course, there's only more pain in it if Renton refuses. They give him some time to, er, think it over.



The Nirvash wants to go show them what's what, but it's a plushie. Still, it seems to...



Oh god.



Meanwhile, the rest of Team Neverland is journeying far below the Vodarak temple, where "number 6" - the woman with the pink hair - was locked away so the Imáge couldn't find her.



Eureka introduces her as Professor Dominic's fiancee, lover, and a creature just like herself, who the humans gave the number of 6. Her name is Anemone, and she knows who they are and why they've come. But she promised Dominic she wouldn't open the seal for those without hope, only those who have hope so that hope can be granted. Then she looks at Eureka alone and asks if she's ready. Creatures like them can never really dream, because they are dreams incarnate, the dreams of the Imáge. Dominic aborted the experiment so that she wouldn't disappear, but the truth is this: "The humans may touch the Imáge, but dreams will remain dreams, and only reality can change reality."

Eureka asks, why do they exist then? Anemone can only say that they do exist, as do the humans, as do the Imáge. They occupy this world, and they'll all die in it the same as anything else that lives in it. As for Eureka, Anemone knows all she wants is to dream.



Holland just demands to know how to control the Imáge, but unfortunately, the Imáge are here, in vast numbers, and they seem pissed...


Chapter 38: A Promise Fulfilled




That sure is a lot of Imáge; they seem to have sensed Eureka and come to take her back. Holland is up for a fight (though we'll see if his robot can handle it).




We're going to have to keep the Imáge away from the Vodarak temple, whose bounds are displayed, and the whole chapter has to be over in six rounds, so there's that, too.



Also, you know, it's a fight at fifty paces.



Since I'm on a timer, I might as well send Holland.

I can't die here... I... we're going to survive!
I don't care about the world or humanity... I'm going to remake the world... for Talho!





How bad can this be?



Oh, come on.




Oh, come on, Holland.



Luckily, no more Imáge can actually reach the Devilfish, so we've survived the round.



And now ZEUTH is here to bail Holland out, though they were expecting Ime and Asakim here. Even so, the Damons can arrive from nowhere.

Meanwhile, we have some words with Holland, but he has no intention to give us anything. As much as GOONZ (especially the hotheaded Cyber-Beast Force) wants to take him by force, we have to clean up the Imáge first. Holland wants to use us as cover to escape...



And given his performance and the fact that I still lose if he dies, I'm inclined to cooperate.



All of GOONZ is an easy match for the Imáge, and luckily, they prioritized attacking our units over actually making it to the finish line.



Okay, maybe some of them do want to make it to the finish line, which means they won't give counterattacks.




Crowe can't figure out what's in that building that the Imáge want...



But this fucker knows.



And we're going to have to fight him for it. Crowe takes the chance to ask Marguerite what she means about her brother. Ime answers for her: her brother was killed at the hands of the Firebug unit back when Crowe worked for them.

Crowe can't deny it, and Ime delights incoherently in "the wavering of the scales in your soul."



I will take your soul... your Sphere!
I can't let you have that, False Black Sheep.







Asakim's impressed that Ime survived that - his must be more fully "awakened" than the Wavering Scales. Ime orders Marguerite to escort him away from the front lines. Marguerite pauses, then turns, and shouts to Crowe - "It's all lies! My brother fell to you in a fair duel! There is no shame in it!"

Marguerite will take a lot for the Imperium, but she will not let the death of her brother be taken advantage of. Ime growls, but still has no choice but to take her and leave - leaving the DAMons behind, of course.

Everyone from ZEUTH, meanwhile, knows exactly what it means that Ime tried to kill Crowe, and Asakim Ime. But with Asakim still moving in for Crowe himself, there's no time to explain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifR9PxL3hzY

But a couple of new robots step in to defend him, and Asakim, who "hasn't felt this pain in a long time," turns to leave. Crowe demands to know just what he's after. Asakim smirks and says that "your soul grows more worthy of being reaped."

Crowe is assured by ZEUTH, though, that there's no need to go after Asakim. They know why he wants Crowe's soul, and that means he'll be back. And they'll need the power of a Sphere to fight Asakim anyway.



Amuro has to check that Quattro is prepared to do this, but Quattro wouldn't be here if he wasn't.


Nu Gundam (Amuro Ray)
Skills
Newtype L4
Block
Attack Again
Spirits
Focus
Mercy
Sense
Assail
Traits
I-Field Delta
Blade
Shield
Weapons
Vulcan (10 ammo, mobility)
Beam Cannon (8 ammo)
Beam Rifle (10 ammo)
Nu Hyper Bazooka (6 ammo)
Beam Saber (20 EN)
Fin Funnels (6 ammo, 105 Will, Newtype L1, barrier, size)
Ace Bonus: +10 mobility and accuracy when piloting a mech named "Gundam."

Amuro's pretty good. Ammo-based and beam-based, high Skill, great Newtype, and can pilot any mecha from the UC timeline, hence the Ace bonus.


Hyaku-Shiki (Quattro Bajeena)
Skills
Newtype L3
Command L2
Block
Spirits
Sense
Focus
Accel
Fury
Traits
Blade
Weapons
Vulcan (10 ammo, mobility)
Beam Rifle (8 ammo)
Beam Saber (5 EN)
Clay Bazooka (8 ammo)
MS Squad Assault (2 ammo, 110 Will, barrier, size)
Mega Bazooka Launcher (70 EN, 120 Will, size)
Ace Bonus: Negates successive hit adjustments.

It's Quattro. He has fantastic shades and his MS Squad as an attack. He is not subject to the mechanic where dodge rate drops as a unit dodges attacks repeatedly in one turn.

This may be another universe, but it's one full of people.
We'll do whatever we can! I left Treize's side so I could find out what that is!





(Was I ever as determined as Treize Kushrinada?)
(I'm just a pilot now, swept along the current...)





New guys!




Soon, a surprise Imáge shows up on the radar and attacks the temple.



As Renton searches desperately for Eureka, the two doll-robots argue.



An explosion knocks Renton out, and he finds himself having a vision of Dominic. Renton apologizes for being two weak to keep his promise to take Eureka to see the moonflowers. Instead, Dominic chides him for thinking too much. "Is that all you've learned in eight years, Renton?"



Humans are stupid creatures. They've picked the flower, thinking it was the easiest future.
And that's why the world's the way it is.
...
Do you see now, Renton? The Imáge are a mirror. They show the true self of whoever looks into them.
I don't get it, Professor. What should I do? Just tell me.
I think you already know.
...
Not in your head, but in your heart.
Professor, where are you going? Professor!
I always liked you for being clumsy. Let me tell you something to help you stay that way.
Listen...
Professor!!



Renton's awake and running to protect Eureka - bodily, it seems, to GOONZ' alarm.

Whooooaaaa! Don't beg...
Don't beg! Earn it yourself! That's how you get it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XWCwI_6Fis



Eureka is as confused as the rest of us.

I'm sorry, Eureka... I may have never got the power and the courage together to protect you until now...
But the Professor taught me... to win our future together!
Come with me, Eureka! I love you!
Renton... Renton! Renton!
The one that breaks the laws of the world. When its Compac wakes, two children become one, and the holy white one is born...
What did you do to them?
All I did was cheer them on.
If we don't reenact the legend, we'll die! You knew that!
Don't be foolish.
What?
Why didn't you ever try to write your own legend?
!
Like they did.
Are... are you saying this is because they refused to play their parts in the story?



Holland's backup arrives, and he tells them to contact Ime and pulls out. Now that he's lost Renton and Eureka, Roger points out, they have no choice but to depend on Ime Liard.


Nirvash specV
Skills
Prevail L5
Break Will Limit
Will+ (Hit)
Spirits
(Renton)
Invincible
Gain
Strike
(Eureka - SP Regen)
Scan
Attune
Mercy
Trust
(Nirvash)
Accel
Focus
Vigor
Faith
Traits
HP Regen S
EN Regen S
KLF
Weapons
Staff (20 EN)
Bit Laser (8 ammo, 110 will, size)
Ace Bonus: Renton's, Eureka's, and Nirvash's max SP +30.

Yawn.



So it's the end of that turn where all that happened, the Imáge are down to the big ones, and the Damons are still untouched.



The lesser Imáge are still largely ignoring GOONZ to make a run for the temple.

Firebug... looks like I can't escape my dirty past after all.
Ime, I hate to admit it, but it looks your plan went off without a hitch this time!





I don't like Dinodamons.






Why are there two of them.




Don't worry, though. Mazinger can take it.



The Imáge are shortly exterminated.



The Bulldamons are done soon after.



Except for this weirdo. I don't know what his deal is.



And there go the Rhinodamons.



It's the end of turn 4.





Goddamn Dinodamons.



Charge!






One down...







This is the point where Akagi learns the mighty Soul spirit, which is like Valor, but it amplifies damage by 150% instead of doubling it. In retrospect, it's ironic that I used his turn refueling Gurren-Lagann. As if that weren't enough, Ibuki learns Rouse, which gives 5 Will to anyone on the map, and Aoyama gets Faith, which fully heals one unit. Three really good Spirit commands at once! Anyway, back to the beatdown.





I just want to point out that while those attacks were modified by Zero's order and Analyze, not one of them was affected by Valor or Soul.

Eureka... Nirvash and I will protect you!
Renton...
From the Imáge, from Holland! I'll fight to protect you!




Oh, and there was this thing.



And that's a wrap, but Nia points out that "this is only the beginning for those two."

You're so stupid...
Huh?
You're stupid, Renton! You're always being so stupid! What are you thinking?
Stop saying "stupid."
Renton...
I can't help being stupid. But whenever I'm stupid, it's for you.
That's stupid...
But you're my stupid.
You bet.

Wow, this is legit not the Eureka I remember.

Unfortunately, there are some questions about Eureka we do still need answered. She wants to tell us about her "function"...



And she needs all of GOONZ to hear it. As we know, she's a spy robot created and deployed by the Imáge, and the crystal within her is encoded with all the information she's learned in this world. The researchers at Warsaw said that crystal and the data in it is what the Imáge are after - so they could learn humanity's weaknesses, they said, so they could wipe us out. That explains why they sent her and why they want her back now, and Leeron suspects that everything else the Imáge did was also to see how humanity would behave.

Anyway, Eureka was ready to die. She wanted GOONZ to destroy the Gekko and its crew and her with it so the Imáge wouldn't get what they needed to destroy the humans. They still have the chance to...

Renton stops her. Whatever she is, he knows how he feels, and that's all that matters to him. And he'll fight anyone who stands in their way, whether it's Holland or the Imáge, or even all of GOONZ if they want to kill her.

But if that happened, Garrod and Gainer would stand with him. Not that that'll happen; all they really need to do is keep Eureka from falling into the Imáge's hands, and GOONZ is more than enough to defend her. Or did Renton honestly think we'd turn our weapons on an innocent, defenseless girl? GOONZ is about doing good, and each soldier in it has something of their own to protect; Renton's may be a robot, and that's okay. He and Eureka are both our own.

(Kids, don't date robots.)



Anemone sizes up Renton and pronounces him just as her love (now alive only within her) described. She asks Renton to protect Eureka, but she really didn't have to. As for Eureka, she believes in her.

ZEUTH is absolutely shocked to find what's become of this Anemone (Cynthia says she's an adorable old lady, though). Anemone actually acknowledges that they knew another her, and leaves Eureka with her own advice - "You don't simply recreate legends. You write them yourself."



There's also the revelation about Crowe. He grimly explains Firebug for GOONZ' benefit: a special Britannian squad made up of the worst of the worst. That's all he's willing to reveal though - less because he doesn't want them to know, and more because he doesn't want to remember himself. Lockon backs him up - everyone has a skeleton in their closet here on the Ptolemaios.

In exchange, Crowe wants ZEUTH to spill on Asakim's deal as they promised. First, Roger asks if Crowe's feeling okay physically. "Thinking about my debt makes my head hurt," quips Crowe; Roger smiles and says that's good news, since it means "there's still time to turn it back," which doesn't sound like good news to me!

Anyway, this is Z stuff, so pay attention. That VX thing in the Brasta? It's an entity called a Sphere; they don't know a lot about these things, but they're sources of absolutely tremendous energy, each keyed to a person, and Asakim is hunting people who can tap into them. Sure, Asakim may have helped Crowe out of jams in the past, but that was always before he'd activated the VX. Each Sphere seems to have a different condition for activating it; ZEUTH knew of two, triggered by sadness and pain respectively, and their owners came to be known as the Sorrowful Maiden and the Scarred Lion. Traia theorized that the VX was keyed to some sort of mental state; she must have been right, and those guys have been going around calling Crowe the Wavering Scales. Going by history, that's a pretty good clue.

The point is that Asakim wanted to keep Crowe alive until his Sphere was active, then kill him to take it. They don't know what his endgame is - perhaps they can't comprehend it - but it's likely that he's also after Ime for some Sphere business. Crowe has already realized that Ime has his own Sphere, since Asakim keeps calling him the False Black Sheep, and that would explain everything very neatly. Incidentally, if you didn't pick it up, the Spheres are named maiden, lion, scales, and sheep - all signs in the Zodiac.

As for Roger's question, he explains that as Sphere bearers tap more and more of the Sphere's power, it affects their bodies in unique ways, like fading senses or wracking pain. If Crowe's still okay, it means his awakening isn't complete yet. But if he keeps piloting the Brasta...

"So what?" interrupts Crowe.

He's aware of what the Brasta is doing to him, and what Asakim intends to do. But he's not about to skip on his debt, even if he has to stake his life on it.

ZEUTH laughs. Their own Sphere bearers each had a reason to keep fighting with their mechs despite the danger, and debt is as good a reason as any. And ZEUTH will back him as long as he needs them. If Crowe will pilot the Brasta until the Imperium is defeated, they'll do all they can to make that happen even a little faster.



Crowe's Sphere may act different from Rand's or Setsuko's, but Amuro and Quattro muse that all of them are strong of will. Team Gundam is glad to have their commander back, but the Wing boys are shocked to hear they were hanging out with Treize Kushrinada - the commander of OZ, and with OZ's increasing power, more the most powerful man in the AEU with each passing day. On top of that, he's half the power team behind the U. N. Forces, along with Schneizel el Britannia, at least by way of the Romfeller Foundation. He seems to have wanted their outsider's view as visitors from another universe, nothing more. Treize had "doubts" about the state of the world, and no doubt he wanted their opinions to harden his own resolve one way or another.

It's worth something to have one of the most powerful men in the world looking out for it, but Duo's not so sure - something's fishy about the Treize/Schneizel partnership. GOONZ has gotten stuck between Britannia and the AEU before, Treize has connections with the PMC trust, and there's still the outstanding issue of the Celestial Being mole. Kouji's ready to go beat him down right now, but it's hardly going to be that easy to take on the might of a whole country...



Speaking of the PMC trust, some former friends of Chirico's have unearthed the Red Shoulders' base, and we know they're in cahoots. Sumeragi's planning an assault on their base; we can't pass up a chance to beat down some terrorists...



Quattro's feeling "tired" and leaves to rest. Amuro wonders just how much Treize got to him...



Zero is finishing taking the message from Chirico's old squad. They must be former Red Shoulders themselves; wonder what grudge they have. There's also a chance that PS will be there (Zero explains that whole deal to Sumeragi).

In more pragmatic matters, Sumeragi is looking over the secret base plans, and it looks like only machines 20 meters tall or less (that's M to you and me) will be able to get in. We'll have to leave any size Ls or larger behind. And the enemy forces will be the legendary Red Shoulders. It's not going to be easy...

Spiritus Nox
Sep 2, 2011

Amuro! Fin Funnels!! :swoon: It's just a shame there's no squads in this game. I loving loved vaporizing squads at a time with Fin Funnels in Z.

Also, I actually really like how they tie Eureka 7 into the broader Z lore here. The story seems to be coming together quite organically, all things considered.

TwoPair
Mar 28, 2010

Pandamn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta
Grimey Drawer
God I hate literally everything about Eureka Seven that isn't Eureka Seven. Movies, sequels, all of it's just poo poo.

Broken Loose
Dec 25, 2002

PROGRAM
A > - - -
LR > > - -
LL > - - -
I will always and forever enjoy when "adults" come in during a moment of concentrated stupid in a SRW game. It's also very rare that Amuro gets that moment, since he's usually a main character.

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

Caphi posted:

Play Super Robot Wars Z!
LP Super Robot Wars Z!

(so looking forward to that)

TwoPair posted:

God I hate literally everything about Eureka Seven that isn't Eureka Seven. Movies, sequels, all of it's just poo poo.
Does that include the songs? Because you're absolutely wrong if it does, and absolutely right if it doesn't (because both the movie and AO were awful, and because of this, I can't wait until AO gets into SRW so it gets done properly, Destiny-style).

Also I think I can say for certain I didn't understand anything Anemone said here. I guess her dialogue with Asakim could be considered important...if it wasn't so drat vague. On the other hand, pretty much the most important plot point of Z (Spheres) has now become clear in Z2 as well, which is good. And even better, Amuro! And Quattro! And the new Fin Funnels (which you gotta show the kill animation for at some point, because that's basically my favourite Z-series animation ever).

Taran_Wanderer
Nov 4, 2013
Hooray for Amuro and Quattro. I think we need to see some more Gundams in action.

http://tinyurl.com/nr9pabr

Data's updated through Stage 16. Keeping everyone leveled up is giving me a greater appreciation for the characters/robots I don't normally use (e.g. Luca, Shuttle, Sayaka, Dancougar Nova). Shuttle, especially, has a ridiculous amount of SP on its pilots. I think I'll try using it for the rest of the game.

Brunom1
Sep 5, 2011

Ask me about being the best dad ever.

Blaze Dragon posted:

LP Super Robot Wars Z!

(so looking forward to that)

We're getting there - soon. :)


More importantly: AMUROOOOOOOOO! This here's my main man and he's never once let me down in any SRW games I've played (and he's as broken as Karen in Z2).



This BGM is sort-of average to me, though. I prefer Sally or, of course, Beyond the Time but I suppose it could be a lot worse...

And speaking of worse, I'll never forgive the Nirvash Spec 5 for existing and being so goddamn uninspired.

Endorph
Jul 22, 2009
I haven't watched the E7 movies and have no plans to, but I kind of liked the 'do it yourself' stuff in this chapter.

GimmickMan
Dec 27, 2011

Endorph posted:

I haven't watched the E7 movies and have no plans to, but I kind of liked the 'do it yourself' stuff in this chapter.

Z2 focuses on that and trims down a lot of the mediocre or just plain bad parts, which makes it work pretty alright even if the spec V is amazingly boring for being such a powerful and important unit.

It gives me hope for Ao, because the beginning is kinda sorta okay and would make for some alright intermission shenanigans, while the endgame plot desperately needs a rewrite and SRW's lategame clusterfucks would lend themselves to that.

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn

Endorph posted:

I haven't watched the E7 movies and have no plans to, but I kind of liked the 'do it yourself' stuff in this chapter.

The moral of the movie was "Don't try and recreate someone else's story, make your own." Which is nice-sounding and all, only the way it came across was "Why did you come to this E7 movie to watch E7, you're silly."

They were kind of shooting themselves in the feet there. THe movie itself being a mess didn't help.

Wounded Land
Nov 27, 2007
Living in a greenhouse, growing crops that we can't eat...
Yay, Amuro's back! I love that his ace bonus is "Better At Gundams," though sadly a lack of Mk.II means we don't get to see him beating the crap out of people with the Flying Armor Kick. Can he still pilot Turn-A, and thus leave Loran to sit on the bench forever?

ImpAtom
May 24, 2007

Wounded Land posted:

Yay, Amuro's back! I love that his ace bonus is "Better At Gundams," though sadly a lack of Mk.II means we don't get to see him beating the crap out of people with the Flying Armor Kick. Can he still pilot Turn-A, and thus leave Loran to sit on the bench forever?

He can and it rocks.

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AradoBalanga
Jan 3, 2013

BlitzBlast posted:

The moral of the movie was "Don't try and recreate someone else's story, make your own." Which is nice-sounding and all, only the way it came across was "Why did you come to this E7 movie to watch E7, you're silly."

They were kind of shooting themselves in the feet there. THe movie itself being a mess didn't help.
Yeah. It's a nice message and everything, the problem is that, as you said, the movie openly mocks you for thinking you were coming to see what made Eureka 7 work be translated onto the big screen. If it didn't go for this gigantic alteration of goddamn everything, the movie might have been decent. Instead, you're left with a mess of things and a bad experience.

Z2 tries to fix that by tying it all into the whole Z lore using a plot thread from Pocket Full of Rainbows (the "alternate universe" in the film is the E7 TV series universe, instead of the ZEUTH world), but....the E7 units suck and aren't all that fun to use. Plus, Renton and Holland get blown away by the returning ZEUTH units and GOONZ units, so why bother having them? Using something just to make sure the rest of the plot doesn't collapse under its own weight is something I don't like, and SRW is guilty of doing this at times. But, if you can make the units fun to use, I can overlook that. Here, it doesn't work.

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