Aldnoah.Zero - Episode 20 Discussion / Poll

[magnuskn]

Originally Posted by Top Sergeant

I just watched the episode, and Nina Klein (the pilot) said they were dropping at 1,200 feet per second to land and make the pickup of the Kataphractoi.

Real Starship Troopers (the book) stuff!

And just picture it: a Flying Battleship is dropping at you at over Mach 1, brakes right on top of you, you jump on board and they hit the gas and off you go! Dude! I wish I'd had more officers like Magdebridge who would stop at nothing for their troops. I was privileged to have three such. Damn fine fellows.

I think the secondary characters could all have more screentime and some mini-arcs devoted to them. It is really a shame, since they seemed to have those in S1 and that seems to have died down in S2. But I guess they had to cut stuff somewhere, with all the plot to get through.

Anyway, a fine crew, indeed. Kinda reminded me of the secondary characters in Macross Frontier.

[karice67]

Originally Posted by Irenesharda

And I'm sorry, but even after all that Inaho did, at her last meeting with Inaho, she was still frowning heavily at him. That was just her character.

On this, here's what Minase said in the radio show the week that episode aired (Radio #11):

in that grimace, which was a "..." in the script, I included the sense of "whilst I don't like it, I have to acknowledge what you've done (for us/the princess)."

So I think it's plausible to argue that her views had already began to change, after that time she and Asseylum spent on Earth.

Though I'll leave you all to debate over what had the greatest impact on her.

[Irenesharda]

Originally Posted by karice67

On this, here's what Minase said in the radio show the week that episode aired (Radio #11):

Well, I'm glad she began to respect Terrans from even back then. It took her another year and a half to get from "don't like but respect" to actual "like and respect", I like that development in her character.

[Hidetoshi Nakata]

Darzana, reminds me Rin-Rin, commander of the Rabbit team in Ginga Kikoutai Majestic until the haircut is similar

[Rennir]

Wait how did Mazuurek know that Asseylum was fake?

[azurestratos]

Originally Posted by Top Sergeant

I just watched the episode, and Nina Klein (the pilot) said they were dropping at 1,200 feet per second to land and make the pickup of the Kataphractoi.

Real Starship Troopers (the book) stuff!

And just picture it: a Flying Battleship is dropping at you at over Mach 1, brakes right on top of you, you jump on board and they hit the gas and off you go! Dude! I wish I'd had more officers like Magdebridge who would stop at nothing for their troops. I was privileged to have three such. Damn fine fellows.


Looks like there are potential threats to Slain's plans. It will depend not only on what Asseylum remembers, but then what she does with that knowledge. Also Lemria has discovered the empty med tube. She may dissemble and act like she didn't find out, and then try and figure out what's going on, or she may directly confront Slaine. The first option would be safer for her.

Hey Sarge, what did you think about when Inaho and Nina were discussing navigations? What did Inaho do to help exactly? How did it work?

I'm lacking in nautical and aviation knowledge, but you're one of the only other that seemed well versed in military stuff. Just wanna know your opinions.

[Adachi Tohru]

Originally Posted by Rennir

Wait how did Mazuurek know that Asseylum was fake?

When Inaho interrogated him they talked about the high probability of her being a fake

[orion]

Originally Posted by Rennir

Wait how did Mazuurek know that Asseylum was fake?

She also said that Eddelrito was the only one to have contact with the Earth crew when Earth crew told him a totally different story. If the current princess had contact with Earth crew, she would have been jailed, not treated properly. She would have been treated like a prisoner. Lemira made it sound like she was on a cruise and had a choice of not talking to the Earth crew. Asseylum was in protective custody and had contact with the crew.

Lemira did not have a full grasp of Asseylum's situation and blew it.

[Top Sergeant]

Originally Posted by azurestratos

Hey Sarge, what did you think about when Inaho and Nina were discussing navigations? What did Inaho do to help exactly? How did it work?

I'm lacking in nautical and aviation knowledge, but you're one of the only other that seemed well versed in military stuff. Just wanna know your opinions.

Hi!

I was never a sailor, but I did do a lot of land navigation.

From what I gather in that scene, many of the Deuclion's sensor systems were offline, which would include radar, lidar, GPS, altimeter, compass, etc. Nina was playing it navigationally safe by keeping the ship well above any hills, mountains, etc., however that is not always tactically safe (they mentioned wanting to stay low enough to avoid detection), so Inaho used his eye to determine their altitude so they could get as low as they could safely fly without instruments. He also apparently was able to determine their azimuth (compass heading) and help Nina get the ship back on course. Once a good navigator knows where he/she is, and which way they are facing, they can (usually) find their way pretty well even if their usual navigation aids are not available. Nina seems to have done so.

The scene seemed fine to me from a believability standpoint. We really don't have too many details on all the equipment that has been grafted into Inaho. From that scene in the corridor with Inko, it looks like he's paying for his enhancements with a fair amount of pain.

[NAJ P. Jackson]

Originally Posted by Rennir

Wait how did Mazuurek know that Asseylum was fake?

Inaho told him his suspicion of the princess being an imposter and he manage to confirm this when he asked her about what she went through on her days spent on Earth. Lemrina pretty much blew it when she started spouting about her experience with Earth trash.

[lubczyk]

The one thing I liked about this episode that it laid out the complexity of Slaine's situation. He has to put on airs and different faces with everyone he meets due to the highly hierarchical and class-based system of the Vers Empire. He can't do it all and there's no magic solution that will turn out well for everyone. Someone is going to have to lose or give something up, whether it's the Terrans, Martian people, the Counts or himself. It's obvious that he really loves Asseylum, but no longer worships her and doesn't hold her childish notions. He's really grown up and become a man with his own dreams and his own desires. He admits that he was wrong and confides in people like Eddelrittuo. I wish the rest of the cast besides Lemrina and Martio showed such complexity and humanity.

It almost feels like 2 different writers are composing the script.

I find that people that criticize Slaine don't understand the reasoning behind his actions just want this to happen:

http://youtu.be/EzVPA-bIsvE?t=10m11s

In a world where war is going on over dwindling resources, they want Slaine to act like a child and make an announcement that there should be peace and all their societal, political and economic problems will be solved right then and there.

[Key Board]

splendid

everything is crashing down
yet it's crashing down in a way that makes sense

edit: I'm going to surprised if Inko doesn't melt down and screw up eventually
because that's kinda expected of the childhood friend archetype

[MK-95-]

Dayum! In the drama department, this episode gets an A+. I simply enjoyed all that drama to the fullest. The sense of suspense created and the tense air of the episode was not something fleeting. It was consistent and that ending left me craving more.

Slaine's becoming much more of a dick with every passing episode, I honestly don't feel any sympathy for him anymore. Though, I can still empathize with him somewhat. Considering all that he's done so far, he has no choice but to keep going forward. ie. Shit's going down and it's going down in such a way that it can't be stopped. Even though Lemrina is also a horrible person herself, I feel sorry for her, especially with the way Slaine intends to treat her after his conversation with Eddelrittuo. His descent into darkness is almost complete. We just need for him to go batshit crazy now and that'll be the icing on the cake.

The hopeless situation created at the end of the last episode was diffused a little too easily and/or smoothly I'd say. The sense of danger was extinguished a bit too easily if you ask me. Still, at least it didn't feel like an asspull. I'd give it that much.

Mazuurek finally begins to take action. First, he confirms whether Inaho lied to him or not. Once he confirmed that "Asseylum" was an imposter, he quickly figured out where the real Asseylum was based on Slaine's movements between the castle and moonbase. It also wasn't too much of a stretch as to how he figured that out, so the lack of explanation is pardoned in this case. Plus, once he confirmed that Eddlerittuo has been to earth herself and that she most likely is in contact with the real Asseylum, he passed on the "good luck" charm to her. I like the guy, his character is quite likeable and rather refreshing compared to all the other knights thus far, who only seem to exhibit a sense of superiority and racism. (Forgot to mention that Saaz is also one of the likeable ones.)

Its ironic how Slaine's "good luck" charm is the catalyst that jogs Asseylum's memories of earth and especially the one thing most wouldn't want to mention, her memories of Inaho. I'd say the NTR is almost complete with that one. XD Slaine gonna be so mad if he learns about that. lol

Also, special mention goes to Marito actually being competent this episode. Inaho didn't get the spotlight to himself this time round.

Anyway, I think this one is deserving of a 10. Congrats A.Z, you got a second 10 from me.

[MonkeyDude]

You've made your bed Slaine and it will be most glorious when we see you finally laying in it, hopefully by the next episode. I neither like nor dislike Slaine, but his actions in the past couple of episodes is made me actively root for his downfall. Go full-on nice boat him Lemrina! The lying prick deserves at least a stab or two!

Also the NTR! Slaine is really genre savvy knowing full well he'll be NTR'd if Asseylum regains her memories. Too bad Inaho's ace in the hole keeps the NTR alive!

[justpassingby]

Originally Posted by Key Board

splendid

everything is crashing down
yet it's crashing down in a way that makes sense

edit: I'm going to surprised if Inko doesn't melt down and screw up eventually
because that's kinda expected of the childhood friend archetype

You're expecting her to screw up or want her to screw up for what purpose? So that she won't end with Inaho?

Originally Posted by Key Board

If Okouchi was writing this show, this would weigh on Inko's mind more and more to the point that she would betray him in the future.

That being said I felt that AZ finally found its feet in this episode. Before it felt a bit too much like other shows.

[glaceon_cute]

I'm not an expert in Flower Language, but as much as I can tell, the flowers that Slaine decided to place in his room for princess is pretty interesting, beside the fact that all of them have something to do with love.

+ Red Rose: obviously it means "passionate love"
+ Daisy: usually go with rose in the bouquet, means "love that can surpass everything", and also means "innocence" or "purity"
+ Carnation: means "harmonic love" or "admiration to the purity of the loved one", also means "pride" and "beauty".
+ Cosmos: considers as flower of love because of the sweet smell, in Greek it means "orderly" or "peaceful".

The staff really love symbolism, or maybe I just look too much into the things TwT

[PreSage]

Originally Posted by mweloo

I think someone summed my thoughts up best on another thread- Slaine has become a lot less likeable, but infinitely more complex and interesting. The exact opposite happened to Inaho. You win some, you lose some, I guess.

If one really looks at it, season 2 has really been all about Slaine. His decisions and actions are really what's moving the main plot forward. Inaho's position is more like a sniper waiting in the background and moving small pieces forward until he finally gets the chance to act.

I do wonder what Slaine would have become had he and Inaho switched places at the start of the series. Having a clear place to belong with obvious allies and supporters, would Slaine have turned out differently? It would also be interesting to see if Inaho would still be Inaho as we know him now had he gone through mistrust, hatred, and prejudice that Slaine went through during his times in Vers. How much does one's environment and circumstances shape one's character? It is my thinking this way that I come to feel sympathetic towards Slaine.

[oceanas]

Originally Posted by azurestratos

Hey Sarge, what did you think about when Inaho and Nina were discussing navigations? What did Inaho do to help exactly? How did it work?

I'm lacking in nautical and aviation knowledge, but you're one of the only other that seemed well versed in military stuff. Just wanna know your opinions.

As Top Sergeant said, the first thing he does is tell her their altitude and that she should descend a bit to avoid enemy radar coverage around the mountain area. He then helps her get onto a compass heading of 110 degrees. This way, they know the general area they are heading to. He is then asked if he can locate VOR stations. VORs are used for radio navigation. Without getting too technical into how it works, VORs are ground stations that send out radio signals on set frequencies. VOR locations are marked on navigation charts. If you tune into a VOR frequency, you can make out your bearing (the radial they talk about) to the VOR transmitter. If you can pickup 2 VORs you can then determine the radial you are on for each VOR. Since the VOR locations are known and located on nav charts, if you know where the radials you are on for the 2 VOR stations intersect, you can then fix your position on a map so that you can navigate back to the base they were going to.

[lubczyk]

I really like the nice touch that Slaine had an actual conversation with Eddelrittuo and that Harklight was concerned about Lemrina. Really humanizes all four characters. They don't seem like bad people, just people on the other side of the war.

[cyth]

Originally Posted by Irenesharda

I did think his was awesome, though it amazes me that Aldnoah can even go against the law of conservation of mass and make full clones out of nothing.

We don't really know how Aldnoah tech works, but assuming there's plenty of energy to be extracted from in space, I'd wager with an appropriate energy extraction system the laws of the known universe are being respected.

Originally Posted by noobita

It is funny that there were people still defending Slaine's action after this episode.

Originally Posted by Dauerlutscher

Again petty excuseses for poor poor NTRed misunderstood Supervillain Slaine...

Yep, what I find funny is how supporters try to make him deeper than he actually is. A few tropes describe his character pretty well, we don't have to embellish those. The only people who'd think that there's depth to his character are people who haven't watched or read much fiction (a.k.a. newbies).

And before someone says "but you're saying this after the fact", I've been saying pretty much the same thing since episode 7. But it's just pathetic seeing this perception being dragged out to even after season 2 started, when his character was spelled out in last episode of the first cour.

Originally Posted by PreSage

If one really looks at it, season 2 has really been all about Slaine. His decisions and actions are really what's moving the main plot forward. Inaho's position is more like a sniper waiting in the background and moving small pieces forward until he finally gets the chance to act.

Slaine has come a long way since first season in the strategical department, but let's be honest here he's had resources to spare. I find Inaho's gentle tugging of strings to be much more sophisticated, he exploited Mazuurek to maximum value, he really knows how to profit off Martians' mistakes.

I do wonder what Slaine would have become had he and Inaho switched places at the start of the series. Having a clear place to belong with obvious allies and supporters, would Slaine have turned out differently?

We will have something to chew on once we find out what happened to Slaine's dad. I speculate he's pretty much a poster boy for people with daddy issues.