I'm pretty pleased with how many of
my speculations actually happened.
My key points were... Module 77 is toast. Cain successfully captures a Valvrave for his personal use. Akira and/or Takahi also get a Valvrave. Saki's answer to Haruto is "no". Shoko survives (unless there's a timeskip within the episode itself).
I correctly called Cain getting a Valvrave, Akira getting a Valvrave, and Saki answering with "no". Meanwhile, Module 77 may or may not be toast (since we have a Code Geass-esque cliffhanger ending here) and Shoko probably will survive beyond this episode at least. 4/5 and a maybe - Not bad!
To be fair, my more specific speculations were much more hit and miss (mostly miss
) but I'm glad I got some of the big stuff right. The biggest surprise for me is that I figured at least a couple named characters would die, but unless that happened off-screen, that's a "no". Still, because of the Code Geass-esque cliffhanger they went with here, it's possible we'll still get such character death - Just in the 1st episode of Season 2.
What I really liked about this episode:
1. Cain. Cain is the best military-based villain I've seen since
Kane.
After Cain got shot at by Haruto's Valvrave, I imagined Dorssian soldiers shouting "Cain lives in death! Cain lives in death! Cain lives in death!"
Ah, but due to Magius powers...
Cain (to massive Dorssian cheers): Cain
LIVES!!!
Awesome,
awesome antagonist. I loved how he totally pwned L-Elf in one-on-one combat. That was a real surprise!
2. Shouko. Have to give the girl credit. Her attempt to save Akira was truly valiant and impressive to watch. And it worked!
3. Haruto. He took marriage proposal rejection
like a boss.
I liked the buddy cop routine between him and L-Elf, where L-Elf keeps getting hilariously shocked over how practical Haruto's suggestions are.
4. Dorssia's "Burn, Baby Burn!" strategy. Very clever. And it actually makes some sense! Made the Valvrave fighting much more engaging and fun to watch.
5. Future Saki. She looks gorgeous!
6. Satomi. He didn't do much, but I liked how he put personal pride and ego aside to reach out to a person that he must feel some resentment towards (given how he lost the election to her, and how she's become closer to his sister than he is). He swallowed his pride to plead with Shoko to save his sister.
7. Akira. Her part in the story may have been a touch overdone, but becoming a Valvrave pilot is a big deal. Given how Cain was totally stealing the spotlight this episode, its impressive they found enough time to make Akira's own Valvrave piloting seem dramatic and gripping.
8. Tentatively, the big plot twists. I don't know how all these reveals will play out, but they certainly made this episode even more fun and exciting than it already was. I loved how Cain's male-OS is considered OS-Tan's brother.
What I didn't like:
1. Code Geass-style cliffhanger ending. It makes things a little less satisfying for me.
2. No confirmed named character death. That's a touch gutless for a finale, but admittedly Valvrave mostly made up for it elsewhere.
On the whole, I give it 8/10. One point taken off for each of my two negatives. It's definitely a 10/10 aside from them.
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