(L) BLUE DROP ~Tenshitachi no Gikyoku~

[Haruyasha]

Originally Posted by FatPianoBoy

Yeah, that really needed an explanation.
Or maybe there was one, but it was wrapped up in some technobabble that I can't understand. I do hope this is the case.

Also, when are we going to be able to download purchase this wonderful soundtrack? Amazon Japan doesn't even have a preview for it

Is there one?

[Oppius]

Spoiler for Opinion about 'doomsday':

As far as I know this anime is set in 1999,the year when Nostradamus predicted about doomsday.Now I just thought the last episode is the Blue Drop's version of 'doomsday',the downfall of mankind.

[SIshtar]

Spoiler for Ep 13:

If Ekaril wanted truly protect Mari and the Horime, the suicide mission is pretty useless and a very bad strategy for the mankind future.
Infact how can you protect from the dead?
Ekaril knew she was the only one that believed in Horime, infact we can't say the same for sure about Tsubael and Azanael.
For me, a more logical choice and the best way to protect Mari is if Ekaril programmed Blue to collide with Novaal (it's absurd that with a sofisticated ship as Blue hasn't an automatic-piloting system), or shifted the ship or again she self-ejected with the escape pod. There is also (a vague) possibility that Ekaril we have seen wasn't the real her but an Emule Thought Ekaril? Indeed it's not explained well if the Onomil was only a ghost or an Emule Thought... created by who? By Ekaril? (She was the only one that had seen Onomil figure).

Ekaril may have emulated a suicide attack in order to create a Resistance Nucleus on Earth. Maybe alone, far away from Mari. Ekaril's main objective is infact to protect Mari and Horime and she can do it from distance (same as Yui) and this may explain her heartfelt "Sayonara": she knew that she will not stay with Mari for a very long time (or forever).

The suicide for love is considered a very romantic act, but....in this case...it would be a very very risky choice because there are a lot of variables. Ekaril, if she is really a good commander, cannot be sure that killing Shivariel can save Mari forever. And if Ekaril isn't around live, who will protect Mari? The suicide attack is a
bad strategical decision.

And, I repeat, the very calm composture of Mari during the explosion is odd, infact if you have a telepathic link with your lover during her death, you would have very intense emotions, but also we don't know if they were connected in this moment. Anyways, Mari is not the stoic type.

[SIshtar]

Spoiler for Continuing on ep 13:

The parallel Ekaril/Jeanne D'Arc is not very fitting.
Jeanne D'Arc was alone and very angry, her family was destroyed. She had a lot of supporters but not love.
Ekaril wasn't alone at the end. She had love and loyal friends. And she said Horime technology cannot compete with Arume's. Her death is a heavy strategic loss for the vulnerable Earth even if she succeded on the Novaal's destroying.

For me, Ekaril would be far more "grandiose" character if she formes the Resistance, even at the cost to hiding from all, Mari included, and for all of her life.

In general, if the producers wanted a tragic ending at any cost, I think it would have been enough (and more "intelligent") to let Ekaril live and form the Resistance. Infact it's not necessary a martyr to innescate the change of things. It's more probable to change things if you are living and working hard.


If it is confirmed (by the producers) that Ekaril is dead, beh, it's very very sad, very romantic.....and, I'm sorry to say it, it's also very "stupid" for me.

Anyways, a very good series, one of my Top Five of all time!
I'm hoping for a sequel, there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

And I'm sorry for the long post, I'm a little angry. Sniff sniff.

[oneplusme]

Originally Posted by JediNight

Spoiler for Ep13:

The way it's set up we have to presume that Ekaril is dead. It mirrors the play/real events where Jeanne d'Arc dies. Although it is pretty stupid considering she could have told the Blue to do the jump and ram it, then ejected herself.

Spoiler for episode 13:

I think everyone is forgetting something vital about Ekaril's character here. Given her guilt and self-hatred over the deaths for which she feels responsible, it seems very plausible that she wanted to die in order to atone. (Which doesn't make that sayonara hurt any less...)

Also, she's very much a tragic character. That's what they do. Once you start being explicitly compared to Joan of Arc it's really only a matter of time.

It would certainly be interesting to know whether she left Mari something to remember her by, though... I'd imagine the manga set in 2008 would make it pretty obvious if she'd had a child in the interim.

[Anatole]

Originally Posted by SIshtar

Spoiler for Continuing on ep 13:

The parallel Ekaril/Jeanne D'Arc is not very fitting.
Jeanne D'Arc was alone and very angry, her family was destroyed. She had a lot of supporters but not love.
Ekaril wasn't alone at the end. She had love and loyal friends. And she said Horime technology cannot compete with Arume's. Her death is a heavy strategic loss for the vulnerable Earth even if she succeded on the Novaal's destroying.

For me, Ekaril would be far more "grandiose" character if she formes the Resistance, even at the cost to hiding from all, Mari included, and for all of her life.

In general, if the producers wanted a tragic ending at any cost, I think it would have been enough (and more "intelligent") to let Ekaril live and form the Resistance. Infact it's not necessary a martyr to innescate the change of things. It's more probable to change things if you are living and working hard.


If it is confirmed (by the producers) that Ekaril is dead, beh, it's very very sad, very romantic.....and, I'm sorry to say it, it's also very "stupid" for me.

Anyways, a very good series, one of my Top Five of all time!
I'm hoping for a sequel, there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

And I'm sorry for the long post, I'm a little angry. Sniff sniff.

Totally agree with you (I just registered for this forum in order to support your theory) But this sequel sounds too good to be true even though I very much wish for it.
Anyway, blue drop is a wonderful series despite a couple minor shortcomings. The script and voice acting surpass every bit of my expectation. Definitely one of my all-time favorites (I still cannot tear my mind off some of scenes).

[SIshtar]

Originally Posted by Anatole

Totally agree with you (I just registered for this forum in order to support your theory) But this sequel sounds too good to be true even though I very much wish for it.
Anyway, blue drop is a wonderful series despite a couple minor shortcomings. The script and voice acting surpass every bit of my expectation. Definitely one of my all-time favorites (I still cannot tear my mind off some of scenes).

Thank you!
As said from others before, I'm curious if Hagino/Ekaril left Mari pregnant knowing that she probably won't return back to her. But Mari has only 15 O_O;

[Kieli]

Originally Posted by SIshtar

Thank you!
As said from others before, I'm curious if Hagino/Ekaril left Mari pregnant knowing that she probably won't return back to her. But Mari has only 15 O_O;

Age ain't nothin' but a number Girls get pregnant here in the US at that age and sometimes younger. It's possible just not practical.

[oneplusme]

Originally Posted by Kieli

Age ain't nothin' but a number Girls get pregnant here in the US at that age and sometimes younger. It's possible just not practical.

Indeed. And what with

Spoiler:

the Earth being invaded and all,

I imagine that being under-age would be the least of anyone's worries.

[-Nyu-]

Hm the pregnant theory just sounds to funny and unrealistic to me..
Anyways, it'd be nice if someone who owns the DVD(s) tell us what happens in this extra manga.
Totaly agree that it's odd for Mari being so calm, especialy for someone who's such an emotional person.

[Anatole]

Just occurred to me that Hagino's tender reminiscences of Mari before crashing Blue started from ep 7 (was that cry of "Hagino" in her mind also from that time?)... again nice script.

Originally Posted by Mentar

In this show, by episode 07, noone is in love with anyone.


In episode 7 however, the key scene was Hagino resurfacing, and hearing with eyes wide open in surprise and shock how Mari screamed out her name, broken down in tears. This time, the fear and care for Hagino was evident WITHOUT a danger to herself. Hagino saw how much she cared ANYWAY, and that made her pause, and - in the bathtub - smiling to herself. She liked to see this reaction from Mari. And I believe that she's pondering her relationship with Mari some more.

Also remember the scene where Mari stubbornly insisted that she wasn't really worrying about Hagino? A blatant lie, as Hagino knew, so her surprised reaction, followed by a chuckle on remembering how WRONG this claim was. However, as it is in Ekaril's (the commander's) nature, she leaves Mari be and doesn't confront her. She understands Mari fairly well, while Hagino is still a mystery to Mari. In the past she's been more of a mother to Mari, but after episode 7 she may reevaluate their relationship.

In any case, love it ain't. Yet. Let's see if we get there.

[oneplusme]

Originally Posted by -Nyu-

Totaly agree that it's odd for Mari being so calm, especialy for someone who's such an emotional person.

Spoiler for episode 13:

Well, given all that'd just happened, she could well be all cried (and emoted) out by that point. I suspect the tears will come later.

[Jet_Maeden]

=( oh my bleeding heart. >__<

Spoiler:

I thought the ending was very fitting. It tore my heart out...but...it was fitting. Let's not forget guys, what Ekaril did for Mari and humanity was indeed noble. Yeah, I prefer her living and making out with dear Mari till the end of times...but...no. For an Arume, self-sacrifice is the most noble cause. I mean, what else could Ekaril do? One ship against thousands is not an option and to run away with Mari might be more romantic but to an Arume it probably isn't. I'm sure with time, Mari will understand...and we might as well.

[foux]

what she did was so pointless...i can't even describe the stupidity. Theres like hundred different possibilities how she could have survived with everyone.

[Jet_Maeden]

Originally Posted by foux

what she did was so pointless...i can't even describe the stupidity. Theres like hundred different possibilities how she could have survived with everyone.

Yeah to us it is...for an Arume it is not. I get ya foux ^__^ but....hey...they probably want to make more money...so lets wait for that DVD and extra manga release. We might get a pleasant surprise. We'll probably get a better explanation with the CD dramas.

[Mentar]

About the emerging canon of the "ending-dislikers" that Hagino's decision was wrong:

Spoiler:

She had other, better options? Really? Like which?

Blue was already severely damaged from the suicide bombers - in fact, it would have been finished had Azanael not returned just in time to call off the terminal wave. This scene was also important for one more aspect: Blue was about to be destroyed, and Hagino wore a "desperately fighting" look on her face - she also did not jettison Tsubael even though things looked hopeless. Compare that to her serenity in the end.

Therefore, the classic "run, hide, repair and start guerilla warfare" reasoning is questionable off the bat. There wasn't that much fight left in Blue - remember how long it took to fix the engine damage last time? 5 years - in hiding from Horime. This time, from the Arume fleet? Wouldn't work. This pretty much defeats the "flee with Mari" scenario right from the start, and Hagino made clear before that her goal was to protect not just Mari, but the other Horime aswell.

Also, I believe that Hagino knew that the invasion couldn't be headed off. She said as much earlier - she KNEW that the Horime would lose. She didn't call the Earth defense force. She didn't rally the humans with an inspiring "fight to the death" speech. Her decision was to smash the head of the snake while she still could: Shivariel. Personally, I think she's got some good points going for her:

1) Shivariel was the mastermind behind this mess, and SHE was the one who targeted Mari. Taking HER out of the equation would remove the primary threat to Mari.

2) It would also make sure that the fact that Blue went renegade on the Arume could not be covered up by Shivariel. This should trigger an investigation WTF happened in the Earth theater to lead to the defection and the suicide attack on the flagship.

In my opinion, this would have been Hagino's best shot to help Earth: Trying to "get the message across" that something really fishy went on, leading to the invasion, which should be reviewed. Alas, seems it didn't work too well...

[SIshtar]

Originally Posted by Mentar

About the emerging canon of the "ending-dislikers" that Hagino's decision was wrong:

Spoiler:

Blue was already severely damaged from the suicide bombers - in fact, it would have been finished had Azanael not returned just in time to call off the terminal wave. This scene was also important for one more aspect: Blue was about to be destroyed, and Hagino wore a "desperately fighting" look on her face - she also did not jettison Tsubael even though things looked hopeless. Compare that to her serenity in the end.

Spoiler:

In my case, I have never ever said that Ekaril could escape WITH Blue. As I have pointed before, and so other people, Blue, without the shifting possibility, most likely was completely destroyed in the collision with Novaal. I don't think it was necessary for Ekaril to be inside the colliding Blue. She could escape with a pad and form a Resistance with her very important tactical knowledge about Arume Fleet and Technology. And, why not?, recreate or steal a Thought Weapon (as Yui). Even doing this Ekaril could give the seed of suspect to the Main Fleet about Shivariel Crimes. Without getting her life away.

But as other people have pointed before, the suicide was a reasoned choice of Ekaril, maybe for her it's a nobler act than getting away with Mari and raise a family with her.

[-Nyu-]

Spoiler:

I also think there would be a better option than doing suicide for Hagino to protect Mari. Honestly, do you think humanity will just give up? They'll fight and fight till the Arume leave the earth. Anything else is just unrealistic. Imagine when a foreign country would conquer yours without any reason. I doubt you'd start doing negotiations with them
And even when Shivariel was targetting Mari, go read the manga and you'll find out so much other new treats for Mari..

[Kaoru Chujo]

Spoiler for ep13:

1. I didn't see Mari as calm, more like stunned, then determined, and finally devastated. That sounds like her to me.

2. I agree that Hagino was probably made to kill herself for dramatic reasons, but thinking back to her statement that she was just hoping to live through the play, perhaps she had no real expectation of living longer, and felt (as opposed to thought) she didn't deserve to.

3. I appreciated Jet_Maeden's point that self-sacrifice is the highest virtue for Arume (we know that from the mangas), and that probably played a role. This act really does wipe out any feeling of inadequacy the deaths of her troops and Onomil gave her. Ekaril learned to love Horime by being Hagino, but the Arume Ekaril was her real self, so it makes sense that her final acts were Arume acts and not a Horime desire for love and peace and family.

4. If riding Blue right into Noval was the only way to kill Shivariel (not explained), then it made sense. Shivariel was the only one determined to get Mari. Without Shivariel and Noval's memory banks, no-one would know to look for Mari.

5. The people in conference with Shivariel were not other commanders, but her subordinate officers. If they went against her, they would have been tainting themselves with rebellion, like Ekaril. We do not know that other Arume are as cruel as Shivariel. From the mangas, I would say not. They vary like anyone else, even conquerors.

6. Mature Micchi's confidence that everything was going to be all right might well just have been hoping against hope, but I think it had to with the final statement of the main part of the episode that Ekaril had sowed the seeds of hope. Micchi said that this was not the end of the war, but the beginning. Perhaps because Ekaril had given them an example of resistance, and had shown that there would be Arume willing to protect Earth.

7. As for negotiating with an invading force, the fact is that when the force is overwhelming, the political leader with her people's interests at heart will make peace on the best terms possible. Earth has no possibility of really resisting the Arume, whose weaponry and technology are vastly superior in ways that make successful resistance impossible.

Spoiler for manga:

Arume control of Earth lasted over 1000 years.

And remember, Micchi is going to negotiate after 30 years of futile resistance.

The Chinese sub is out.

[xooms]

Couldnt have been better written, Kaoru_Chujo and thanks for the link! Takes some getting used to though, having been watching English subs all this time. Couldn't resist though..

Spoiler for Ep 13:

Just wondering though... why is it that Hagino couldnt hear what Mari was saying whilst at the dock? Thought they had a telepathic link with each other? Can't say that it works only when they are in physical contact since in ep 11 when Hagino returns, they managed to telepathically communicate with each other.